Serena threw herself out of the way as the dragon smashed through the stage and into the ground. Braixan, landing beside her, tail slightly singed. The Flygon pulled itself up with terrifying speed and turned to glare at the trainer and her Pokémon.

"Braixen, use Hidden Power!" Serena called and immediately the Pokémon began gathering power in it's center.

But before she could, Flygon spun, smashing the fox with its tail, sending her flying.

"Braix!" The Pokémon cried as she smashed into some of the fallen lighting equipment. Knocking the wind out of her, completely stopping the attack before she could even get it off.

"Braixen!" Serena cried as she rushed over to her partner. She had been damaged a surprising amount given that it hadn't even been an attack! Just how tough was this Flygon?!

Gritting her teeth, Serena turned to glare up at her opponents. Flygon still loomed over them and the boy just stared at them, hand carelessly shoved into his pockets.

"Is that all you got?" He asked smugly. "If so, I'll be taking my leave." He calmly turned towards the door.

Serena bit her lip. She couldn't just let him get away. She'd have to use everything she had if she wanted to win!

She pulled her two other Pokeball and tossed them into the air. They sprung open with a pop releasing her Sylveon and her Pancham blocking his path. They growled at the trainer who just smirked as he glanced back at Serena, who was helping Braixan to her feet.

"You think surrounding me will work?" He called, that same smirk still across his face. "It takes skill to command three Pokémon at once. You sure you're up to the challenge?"

"I'm sure! Pancham, surrounded them with Stone Edge!"

"Pan!" The panda Pokémon cried, punching the ground, causing several pillars of rocks to start appearing around the Flygon and it's trainer. The glowing blue rock was high enough that neither could see outside the ring, effectively blinding them.

"Alright guys, let's go!" Serena called. And on her cue, the three Pokémon leapt onto the rocks around the trainer. One one each side so he had no way to keep all of them in his sights.

"Now! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind! Pancham, use Dark Pulse! And Braixen, use Fire blast!"

"Pan!"

"Veon!"

"Braix!"

The three Pokémon all launched powerful attacks at the Flygon from all sides. Serena knew that there was no way it could dodge all of them! Even if they didn't do the dragon in, it should cause a fair amount of damage!

"Flygon! Earthquake! Now!"

Serena's eyes widened as the entire arena shook with tremendous force. The rock wall crumbled and her Pokémon toppled off, their attacks all flying off in other directions! The Powerful shockwave dislodged a part of the ceiling above her, forcing the Performer to throw herself out of the way before she could see what happened to her Pokémon.

And as the dust cleared, she saw they were all pretty banged up. Not only had they been hit by one of the strongest ground type attacks, they had also been buried to some extent in the Stone Edge.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." The boy said, applauding the blonde's performance. "You put up quite a fight for someone who doesn't battle much. You've gotten my respect."

As the clapping stopped, the boy's voice took on a serious tone. "But now it's over. Time for you to throw in the towel. You can't beat me. Not at your level."

Serena bit her lip and looked at her Pokémon battered forms. They were all struggling to get to their feet while Flygon had barely taken any damage. And she couldn't even land one hit! If that didn't make her feel hopeless, she wasn't sure what would.

But…

"No." Serena said as she slowly staggered to her feet. Her Pokémon turned at the sound of her voice. She saw the fight in their eyes hadn't gone out. They weren't out yet!

"No!" She screamed at the sky, her voice filled with detention. "I'm not giving up anymore! I won't quit until it's over! If I did, I'd regret it for the rest of my life! No more 'what if!' No more excuses! I will chase my dream and one day, I will put a smile on everyone's face! I won't fear stop me and I won't let failure deter me! You won't get away with this!"

Serena was now standing along with her Pokémon. They felt the same way. She might be the one with the massive crush on the raven haired trainer, but he had inspired all of them! And they all wanted to face him again as equal! And so they stood their ground, ready to continue the battle.

The boy let out a sigh as he looked at Serena. "Have it your way." He said with a shrug. "I admire your bravado, but you should really learn when to quit. Sorry but this will hurt. Flygon! Finish this with Draco Meteor!"

Once again, Flygon prepared the sphere of dragonic energy. Serena felt her heart drop at the sight. Despite her brave words, she didn't have a plan to stop the dragon, let alone it's best attack! right now all of her Pokémon were too far to intrude the attack!

Biting her lip, Serena thought about what Ash would do. A Quick Attack? No. It would make contact, but was too weak to do anything. Using the field to his advantage? No. Draco Meteor was an attack that rained down from above. Only Pancham had the ability to raise the terrain high enough to do so. And given the damage from the first attack, his Stone Edge wasn't strong enough!

Wait! She couldn't get to Flygon, but maybe she didn't have too!

"Pancham! Launch Sylveon skyward with Stone Edge!"

The fighting Pokémon glanced at Serena and while confused, he slammed his fist onto the ground, making a stairway towards the Flygon. Sylveon immediately leapt onto the stairs, bounding on each step going higher and higher until she reached the last step, where the two Pokémon combined for a single high boost, positioning her high above Flygon.

The Draco Meteor launched and while Sylveon wasn't in its path, if she wasn't a fairy she would be taking some serious damage if it went off right next to her.

Which is why Serena had no intentions of letting it go off.

"Now, use Fairy Wind and send it right back!" She cried and her Pokémon reacted immediately. Ribbons empowered with the dragon slaying wind lashed out, slamming against the heavily concentrated sphere of energy. And with a cry of exertion, the pink Pokémon sent hurling back down at the trainer and Flygon.

Behind their goggles the trainer's eyes widened. They hadn't expected this kind of strategy for the girl. Even trainers who had competed in Pokémon leagues hadn't use this type of tactic very often. Yet this girl, who clearly had little to no battle experience had almost landed a devastating plow against them.

Too bad almost wasn't good enough.

"Flygon, send it back with Iron Tail!"

The dragon's tail flashed as an iron coating approached over it. With lightning fast speed that made it's species famous, it shot into the air, rolled and smashed the sphere with its tail.

Immediately the Draco Meteor shot back into the sky going so fast Serena could barely see it until it came to a stop high above her. To her complete horror, it had reached an altitude to engulf the entire area with meteors! Tears started to form the blonde's eyes. Was this really it?! Had her effort really amounted to nothing?!

"Delphox, Light Screen, let's go!"

Immediately, the Draco Meteor was surrounded by glowing pink walls. Both Serena and the trainer looked up in surprise as the meteors were released. As they collided with the walls, several detonated on impact, resulting in less than half making it out.

Serena's eyes widened as she saw an opening. "Sylveon, blow the attack away with Fairy wind!" She cried and was almost surprised herself when Sylveon attack didn't just blow the meteors away, but caused them to harmlessly detonate against the ceiling.

As a chunk of the ceiling crashed down revealing open sky, Aria stepped forward, stopping next to Serena. Her Delphox with her.

"You're right, Serena. It's far too early to give up." She said, smiling at the younger girl. "We won't get anywhere if we don't try. Now let's get Lisia's keystone back and teach this guy not to mess with us Kalosiens!"

Smiling, both turned back to the Flygon trainer, ready for another round. It may be two on one, but they'd have to stay on their toes if they want to w-!

"Nice one! I haven't seen something like that in a long time!" The trainer said, clapping his hands. "You really are something! I'll admit, when I first saw you, I thought you'd be running out after the first attack. I'm glad to see I was wrong."

He stopped clapping and leaned forward, still grinning. But for some reason, it looked different than before. Rather than a grin of someone looking forward to something, it was closer to someone who had just watched a team they had been rooting for win. It was weird.

"You think fast and despite your lack of experience, you have good instructions. But more than that, you inspire others to fight as well." His gaze shifted to Aria, who took a step back surprised. "She was cowering out of sight until just now. But when you pushed forward, she finally was able to step up and try to beat me. You actually reminded me of Her."

Serena was even more confused now. Who was he talking about?

Before she could ask, the trainer jumped up onto Flygon. Immediately causing both girls to tense.

"Unfortunately, I'm out of time." He said, looking over his shoulder at Officer Jenny. "Her support has finally arrived. Have to cut before they surround the place. It was fun and I hope to battle you again. Good luck in your future endeavors, later!"

"W-wait!" Serena yelled, but the Flygon had already taken to the sky. It hovered right next to the hole in the ceiling long enough for the trainer to look back at Serena, then they disappeared through the hole and into the night.

A little while later.

Serena sat next to an abundance as a nurse patched up her injuries. Her Pokémon had all been treated first and while there would be no long lasting damage, Nurse Joy still insisted that they stay in her care until tomorrow.

A little ways away, Aria was talking to the police, basically explaining everything that had happened. Serena had also given an account before the nurses rushed her off to be treated.

At the edge of the nursing area, Lisia sat, head in her hands as she watched her beloved Pokémon being treated. Serena had missed it, but apparently Ali had used her own body to shield several fleeing spectators. Which explained why she had so much trouble keeping up with Flygon.

Apparently she had also taken a Dragon Rush after she had been forced out of Mega state, resulting in her being unconscious and unable to break her fall in any way whatsoever. As a result, Ali had been the most injured out of everyone who had been at the event.

As the medic finished the emergency treatment of Altaria, they loaded her into an ambulance and drove off. Lisia made an attempt to chase after it, stopping at the edge of the road, struggling to stay upright.

Serena had overheard something about fractured ribs when they had been examining Lisia. Clearly she wasn't doing much better.

Standing up, the blonde walked over to the idol and eased her back to her seat. At first, the girl resisted, but after a little coaxing, she finally accepted there was nothing she could do right now.

"Easy, you did amazing." Serena said as she helped back down, where she promptly rested her head in her hands once again. "The doctor said that Ali should be fine after a few days' rest. She'll live without any long lasting damage." But the idol didn't seem to hear her.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Lisia said, more to herself than Serena. "Pokémon contests are supposed to be about showing the beauty of Pokémon. That there's more to living alongside them than battling. And I put so many people in danger today. So many injured because of me."

Serena's heart broke for the idol as she felt her body start to shake. Unsure of what to do, the blonde knelt down and gave the blue haired girl a half hug.

"If it wasn't for you and Ali, several people would have been caught in the attack." Serena reassured her. "You didn't have any idea someone like that would come after you. And you certainly didn't make them. All this damage is because of them, not you. Your quick thinking saved several people."

Despite the blonde's words, Lisia just shook her head. She raised her tear stained face slightly so she could look at Serena.

"I didn't." She said. "When Ali went to protect people from the meteors, most of them were aimed at the stage. The ones that did fly into the crowd were poorly aimed. Almost all of them hit the wall or along the perimeter."

Immediately the blonde did a double take. That didn't sound right. A trainer that skilled should have known his Pokémon's attack area. But then why would he aim for the less active areas? If he had struck the people, he would have taken them all out at once.

Had he purposefully aimed there to cause panic inside of damage?

"Hey, how's everyone?" Both girls looked up to see Aria approaching. A sad smile on her face.

"The police said that whoever attacked the contest was likely associated with the Hoenn underworld. Basically meaning they don't know who it might be as there are too many suspects." The Kalos queen said as she knelt next to Lisia. "But I'm a little curious what that boy meant when he said your keystone was passed down in your family. Could you explain what he was talking about? It might help us figure out who he was."

Lisia took a deep breath, steadying herself before answering. "My keystone is an heirloom that my family has had for generations. It was the first keystone ever to make it to Hoenn. Even before we knew about Mega Evolution it was passed from father to son, mother to daughter for as long as my family can remember. And as my uncle isn't married, he gave it to me to continue our legacy."

Serena's eyes widened. She was surprised hadn't heard of that before. So much of the poor idol's life had been publicized that her own birthday was common knowledge.

"However, this is considered a family secret as many feared people would attempt to seal the keystone if they found out." Lisia continued. "As such, everyone in my family has been quite tight lipped about it. They'd never tell anyone they didn't completely trust. I'm sure of that."

A long silence followed the idol's confession, all the girls had more questions on their minds now. It took several long, agonizing minutes before Aria asked what was puzzling all of them.

"So, that begs the question, how did that boy know about it?"

Another long silence followed Aria's question. If Lisia was right, then only someone from her own family would know it's secret and value. So that posed the very unsettling question, would someone actually have sold that information on the market?

Before they could dwell on the questions farther, Nurse Joy approached them.

"Serena?" She said quietly. "I've got both translation back to the Pokécenter and a room waiting for you there. I've been requested to bring you there straight away so there's no confusion on what's going on. You fought the longest, and as a result, I'm worried you might have some injuries not visible to just the eye."

Serena gave a weak nod. She didn't really have the energy to protest right now. So she unquestionably followed the nurse to a nearby van and climbed in.

As it drove off into the distance, Aria had a moment to contemplate her situation. When talking with the police and other staff members, something disturbing had come up. The boy had actually been seen inside the event, but when security tried to throw him out, he showed them something that made the Kalos queen's blood run cold.

He had Serena's pass and used it to get by security. But even worse, it seemed he knew Serena was with Lisia as he never asked for the idol, only the blonde.

Serena sat outside the treatment room. Inside were her Pokémon, still being treated. And while Nurse Joy had assured her they would be fine, she was still nervous. This was their first big battle and whoever the boy was, he was clearly at the same level as Ash and Alain.

As she sat there in silence, she felt her self doubt rear up again. What was she even doing here? She had no place to travel on her own. Every major battle she'd been in, she had stood back and let her friends fight. Or had them covering her. She had no hope by herself.

Serena shook her head, trying to rid herself of these thoughts, but it didn't do anything to help her doubts. Was she even good enough to call herself a trainer? She barely had any battle experience and could only really copy Ash. And that would only get her so far. Maybe she should just go home. Maybe she didn't belong here. Maybe-

"Ice cream sandwich?"

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Serena screamed as the cold dessert was placed next to her cheek. She spun around to find Zinnia standing behind, an ice cream bar halfway in her mouth. Aster sat on her shoulder finishing one of her own.

"Sorry, I thought you knew I was here." She apologized. "You looked upset so I thought maybe something sweet might help. Didn't mean to startle you."

Serena quickly shook her head and took the offered ice cream. "No worries. I was just lost in thought. And worried." She confessed, twiddling her thumbs as she spoke. "Honestly, that was my first major battle, but even so, I can't help but feel like I did poorly. Maybe I should just stick to showcases where there are no battles, cause I clearly suck at them."

Zinnia said nothing as she finished her ice cream. Then turned her back to Serena as she set Aster on the ground and began wiping her face making the blonde confused. Had she upset the girl somehow?

"So, in other words, you're giving up?"

Serena gave a start at the other girl's actuation. She had been thinking about giving up! Someone she had promised herself she would stop doing! Never give up until the end! That was the motto Ash lived by and those were the words that inspired her for some many years. She had come so far in her journey and now she was going to let one little setback stop her in her tracks?!

Clenching her hands into fists, Serena looked up with renewed fire in her eyes. "No." She said loudly enough for the Zinnia to hear, causing said girl to glance over her shoulder at the blonde.

"I'm not giving up. I refuse to let one loss break me down. I'll use what I learned today as inspiration for tomorrow. I won't live a life of regrets or second guessing. I'm going to press forward into the future no matter what it holds!"

Serena raised her fist to the sky and envisioned Ash out in the world somewhere getting stronger every day. She knew one day they'd cross paths again. And when they did, she wouldn't be the one who had stopped moving forward. She would keep going down her path so she could stand at his side without feeling like she hadn't earned it!

And while she still had a long way to go, she knew she'd get there eventually!

"Because, we still have a dream. One we won't give up on, no matter what!"

Zinnia let out a laugh as she turned away from Serena. "Well, I like your enthusiasm. You're definitely different then most." She said making the blonde turn to look at her in confusion. What was she talking about? But before she could ask, the dark haired girl had scooped up Aster and turned towards the door, disappearing without a word.

Serena just stared blankly after the girl, wondering if she had somehow upset her. Out of all the people she had met, she had to admit Zinnia was one of the weirdest ones. She could never get a good read on the girl.

Turning back to the treatment room, and she saw her Braixen looking back at her, a smile across her face. She probably heard what she had said and shared her trainer's beliefs. This was only the start of their next big adventure, and there was no way they were giving up so easily!

"Ali! I'm so glad you're okay!" Lisia said as she snuggled with her beloved partner. "I'm so sorry you got hurt! I promise to do better from now on! Please forgive me!" The fluffy Pokémon cooed and nuzzled her head against her trainer's. She didn't blame her at all.

"Well, looks like nobody was seriously injured. Thank goodness." Aria said as she and Serena sat in the back of the Pokémon center staff room (given to them to avoid the paparazzi) watching the heartwarming reunion. None of their Pokémon had been injured badly either, once again raising questions in Serena's head about what the boy's intentions were.

But she couldn't dwell on it. She was ready to head out and just wanted to say goodbye to the Kalos queen and her friend.

"It was so nice to see you again, Aria." Serena said. "I'm looking forward to our next meeting, Lisia. And I hope the police catch the thief soon. I want to compete against you at full strength!"

The idol smiled at Serena as she and her partner looked up from their coddling. "I look forward to meeting you on stage, Serena." She said with a smile. "I can't wait to see your Kalos style performance! I hope to see you at the final's of the Hoenn Grand Festival!"

The two stepped forward and shook each other's hands. Despite their unusual meeting, both were excited to see what the other had in store for them when they next met. Meanwhile, Pancham, Sylveon, and Braixen extended their hand, ribbon and paw to Ali, who happily gave them her wings. Both Pokémon and trainer raring to go.

"Hey, Serena. You got an idea of where you headed next?" Aria asked, immediately prompting the blonde to blush as she shook her head. She had planned to compete in the contes here in Lilycove, but after the damage to the hall, she doubted that it would be held anytime soon.

"I…umm…I'm actually not sure." She said sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. She was a little embarrassed to admit she didn't have a plan in front of one of her idols, but she figured honestly was probably the best course right now.

"In that case, you could head to Fortree City." Aria said with a smile, completely unfazed by her rival's lack of a plan. "A new contest hall was just built there and the grand opening is in a few weeks. That should give you more than enough time to get there and start practicing your performance."

"Thanks! We'll give it our best. Right guys?!" Serena said and her Pokémon let out cries of agreement. "And so it settled. Next stop, Fortree City!"

As the blond step back into the main lobby, she waved her friends goodbye until the doors shut, hiding the from view. Recalling her Pokémon, Serena turned and made her way to the doors that led outside, scanning the crowd as she went.

She had wanted to say goodbye to Zinnia too, but she hadn't been able to find the girl. She hoped she hadn't offended her somehow, but she couldn't think of any other reason for the girl to avoid her.

As she reached the doors, Serena gave the lobby one last sweep for the dark haired girl to no avail. Guess she'd have to apologize next time she saw her.

With one last deep breath, Serena turned to face the automatic doors as they swung wide open for her. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. This was her next big advantage and she wasn't spending it hesitating!

With her courage gathered, Serena took her first steps towards her Hoenn advent-.

"Booo!"

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Serena screamed, stumbling backwards as something loud swung down from above right in front of her face.

As her heart hammered in her chest, she heard an imp like cackling and looked up to see Zinnia hanging upside down from the Pokémon center sign by her knees, laughing at the blonde's expense.

"Hahahah! The look on your face was priceless! Hahahaha!" The dark haired girl laughed as she swung down and offered Serena a hand. "You should have seen it! Aaahhh! Hahahaha! Man, I haven't had that good of a laugh in a long time! Haha!"

Blushing furiously, the blonde got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Zinnia! What are you doing here!? I thought you left already!" Despite her annoyance at the girl for scarring her, Serena was happy she didn't seem mad.

"I was actually looking something up. You're a Coordinator, right?" Zinnia asked as she grinned at the blonde. "That means you're heading to Fortree City next. To participate in the contest there." Serena nodded, making the girl grin even more.

"Perfect! I'm heading that direction myself! We can go together!"

Serena's eyes widened at Zinnia's suggestion. She knew traveling with people was much more fun than traveling by oneself. Honestly, it would be a relief to have someone around to keep her company, no matter how weird they were. But…

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" The blonde asked. "I don't have an issue with it, but I always pictured you as the lone wolf type. You know, that you liked going off on your own."

"Well, you're not entirely off." Zinnia said with a shrug. "But There's something very interesting about you. I'm curious how far that determination will go and I want to see it for myself as much as possible. Besides, technically I'm never alone. Isn't that right Aster?"

"Whiss!" The pink Pokémon cried as she poked her head out of her trainer's hood, waving happily at the blonde.

"So, what'll be? Will you let me tag along with you?" Zinnia asked, offering her hand to Serena.

The blonde stood there for a second, then smiled. "Of course. I'd love it if you wanted to travel with me." She said, taking the dark haired girl's hand. "Let's go out there and have an incredible journey together!"

As they shook hands, Serena had hoped this would be the start of a beautiful friendship.