Well here it is, the eighth part of the fourth installment in my 'Heart' series, again ahead of schedule. I can keep up a twice weekly upload at the moment so I will continue so long as I draft enough chapters to justify it so here's the latest Part. One thing to note about this Part in particular is that it was initially planned as a Supplement but after reviewing my outline and writing it I decided to elevate it to the main story because it helps everything flow better so it's rare in that sense and rarer still in that it's a filler Part that has received this unlike the last time a Supplement was elevated as that one had more important things in it then a Supplement should have. As a result I changed one of the upcoming arcs and eliminated a Part due to a need to have a certain Part at a specific number but I'll explain that nearer the time. Lastly, while there are not Supplements to promote here, the Sabrina centric side collection 'Problems of the Heart' is set to begin it's cycle on Monday so if you're interested in that stay alert for it's debut. However, That is all I have for the administrative stuff but there was one question in a guest review that I have already answered in the note before Part XXXIX (Porygon2's appearance) back in Dreams so check that out for the answer as I won't say more because to do so would constitute spoilers and I don't give those away. Anyway, that is all for this pre Part note which meant that it is time to sit back and enjoy the latest installment in Winning Takes Heart. Part LXXXVII: Pictures in Santalune.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Part LXXXVII: Pictures in Santalune

"No Piplup, that is a public fountain, not a personal swimming pool for you." Dawn said restraining her starter from leaping into the large fountain in the center of Santalune City. "Now come here and wait, May is finding us a spot for dinner and I don't want you wet for that."

"Piplup." Piplup protested if the water was public then he should have a right to swim there and show off to all cute Pokémon how good he was in his type. "Pip, Piplup, pip."

"Here have a poffin and shut up." Dawn said resorting to bribing her prideful Pokémon to keep him calm by giving him one of the poffins he loved so much. "And behave yourself or else there will be no more poffins for a while."

"Piplup." Piplup said accepting the poffin and agreeing for the moment to be calm, he would use that to lull her into a false sense of security. "Pip, Piplup."

"Sorry about that." Dawn said to Serena who was sitting on the edge of the fountain with her Scatterbug in her lap as she carefully polished its carapace. "Piplup doesn't get to swim as much as he'd like so when he sees water, he tends to get a little antsy."

"Piplup." Piplup agreed settling in Dawn's arms for the moment as he bided his time, waiting for the right moment to hop into the fountain.

"He's a water type and that's water." Serena said with a smile as Dawn sat next to her with her back to the fountain. "It's understandable."

If Ash weren't also present with Pikachu nearby then Serena would have felt that this was the opening for Dawn to talk with her about him. It wasn't though, and there was a small amount of awkwardness between them, one that Dawn was keen to not let become a silent one.

"I'm surprised that you guys never came her last year." Dawn said looking around the calm city center. "It's a nice place, not as busy as Lumiose but still feels like a city and has more of a natural charm to it. Lumiose felt like Saffron or Jubilife, a busy metropolis that isn't truly reflective of the region. Santalune comes off as more traditional though I have no basis for comparison."

The group had reached Santalune that day around noon and immediately gone to the Pokémon Center to check in, grab a meal provided by the Center, and find out about the gym. Apparently, the gym leader was out of town at the moment and had been for a few days but was expected back by the end of the week. That worked fine for them as it allowed Ash to train as soon as his Pokémon were refreshed by Nurse Joy which didn't take long.

Once his Pokémon were ready, they'd spent the entire afternoon preparing for Ash's gym battle when the time came. Ash had already decided that he would use Pikachu and Fletchling in the battle as the latter had a clear type advantage while Pikachu was the readiest and would have an advantage on a part flying type like Vivillon.

As such Ash had really gotten into the training to make sure that he and Fletchling were fully in sync while Riolu and Froakie aided as best they could with the training, as well as being prepared themselves if it was a three-on-three or a four-on-four battle though the latter was something Ash had only experienced once in a gym battle. He didn't expect more than four though, he'd only come across that twice before and both had been his 8th badges in those regions.

There was another reason for using Fletchling so soon, experience. Given the type that they would face in Lumiose City when Ash battled Clemont there it was best to use Fletchling now. At the very least Riolu was going to get in on the Lumiose battle while Ash decided between Froakie and Fletchling for the last spot as both were weak against electric types. At that moment, though, the prep was for Santalune.

They had trained all afternoon with help from Dawn, May and even Serena at times though she wasn't sure how she could help given her limited battle experience. However, dusk soon fell, and they had to wrap it up for the evening. They were hungry and Ash was as ready as he would be for the upcoming battle. So they dropped off all his Pokémon except Pikachu to be refreshed, Pikachu would get that overnight, and left to see the city.

It was partially a way to see the new city that none of them had been to and partially so that May could find an acclaimed restaurant that was just off the central square and specialized in the local delicacies. True to form, May had a well-worn book on all the best restaurants in Kalos that she'd used the year before and it told where her the best places to eat in Santalune, so she'd decided to find the place for a pre gym battle dinner.

The rest of them had decided to chill in the beautiful and old looking town center complete with the large fountain that was tempting Piplup. Dawn had to admit that the city was not what she'd expected. Lumiose City was the largest city in the world and a real metropolitan center that put the others she'd mentioned to shame so it was atypical to the rest of Kalos. Santalune was more typical of the region, especially the western part, with classical architecture and a public square that Dawn had never seen before.

There was something old world to this part of Kalos that she couldn't place. Yes, her home region of Sinnoh and the regions near it that she'd been to had a similar old flair to them, well she presumed Hoenn did as she'd only seen one city there, but this was different. It was hard to quantify how it was both similar in terms of age but different to the other regions she'd spent extensive time in.

Then again, she was on the other side of the world, so she presumed that was why the styles were different. Unova had been really modern as if it were discovered more recently compared to the others, there wasn't an old school feel to it. Here in rural Kalos, things still felt old.

Not that Dawn didn't like it, she really did. It was all different and nothing had really prepared her for it. She was excited to see more of it as May and Serena had told her of the old castles and chateaus of the region done in Kalos's unique style that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.

"We didn't come here because it wasn't on the route we took." Serena said bringing Dawn out of her thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. "We could have made it here, but it just wasn't in the cards. However, you are right, Santalune is more traditional for the Kalos region but our cities are pretty diverse depending on where you go just as I would assume the ones are in Sinnoh."

"Sinnoh is effectively split in two by Mt. Cornet." Dawn said. "That's the mountain in the center of the region with a ridge the runs north and south dividing it in two. It's an ancient mountain that is near impassable and probably the tallest in the world. I am not sure how it was formed but one result of it was that it divided the Shellos population eons ago and because they couldn't pass through, they have different appearances. Same Pokémon, same evolution but they look different."

"Different?" Serena asked confused. "Like regional forms different? You know, what Max and Bonnie were describing during out last night in Lumiose City."

"No because there's no type difference, just color and body accents." Dawn said shaking her head. "The West Sea ones are pink and white while the East Sea ones are green and blue. That's a basic description but shows how Mt. Cornet caused such a change."

"I see that would certainly divide a region." Serena said.

"It really does." Dawn said. "Sinnoh is more uniform than you'd expect but we have a clear east/west divide while Snowpoint City, our furthest northern city that is so far north it is beyond the top edge of Mt. Cornet, is its own little thing. My friend Zoey is from there."

"Makes sense if you have a large mountain range." Serena said. "It would really divide a region."

"What about Kalos?" Dawn asked curiously. "Is this region divided? You said it was pretty diverse depending on where we went."

"Kalos doesn't really have anything like what you described in Sinnoh, though we do have many natural landmarks like mountains." Serena said thinks. "Aesthetically speaking, and I think Pokémon habitats might also have something to do with this, Kalos has 3 distinct areas."

"Three?" Dawn asked confused.

"Three." Serena confirmed. "Out in the far west is what is known to some as Costal Kalos which is as it sounds, the coast of the region that borders the ocean. Then there is the area to the north and east of Lumiose City that is referred to Mountain Kalos. Lastly there's the area south of Lumiose City, that's Central Kalos."

"And we are in?" Dawn asked trying to think as they had gone southeast from Lumiose City.

"Central Kalos." Serena said. "Santalune is considered to be in this area. My hometown of Vaniville is also in the Central part just further south and while it's close to Santalune I bypassed it on my way to Lumiose City when I started my journey last year. When May arrived, we started in Central Kalos, just not this direction."

"You went west?" Dawn asked.

"May had a schedule she had to follow, places to be for her Contest promotion." Serena said with a shrug. "So, we were bound by that and the areas around her promotions. She started in Lumiose City around the time I had gotten Fennekin and I saw her demonstrate Contests with one of the other Top Coordinators and was amazed. I found it so beautiful that I had to ask her about it. We got lunch and she explained Contests to me and what she was doing in Kalos. She said she was heading to Cyllage City next and asked if I would join her, so I did."

"Just like that?" Dawn asked. "No other plan or dream when you set out?"

"I went on my journey to get away from my home and my mother's expectations of following in her footsteps." Serena said simply. "I'm a girlie girl just like you Dawn but my mom is a salt to the earth woman. She breeds, rears and rides Rhyhorns and expected me to do the same so I went on my journey to get away and find myself. Seeing a Contest and someone my age like May having a great time in something that was so alien to me was amazing, so I had to talk to her."

"And you told May why you were on a journey?" Dawn asked.

"I did and that's when I learned she only went on her journey to see the world and didn't know what she wanted to do at first either." Serena said reminding Dawn of May's original reason for traveling, something the Hoenn girl had told her about when they first met in Sinnoh. "We clicked because of it, and I think she saw a bit of her rookie self in me. So, when she suggested we travel together I couldn't say no."

"I see and you guys ran into Clemont and Bonnie shortly after." Dawn said as an old conversation from her first night in Hoenn came back to her. "May told us about that."

"Yeah, we ran into them the next day." Serena said with a smile. "I presume you know what happened then."

"About Clembot?" Dawn asked and Serena nodded. "Yeah, May told us that story. Pretty wild but then again it's typical for people like us so I'm not surprised it went down like that."

"I had a feeling you wouldn't be surprised, May explained how desensitized you guys were to odd things like that." Serena said with a chuckle. "But yeah, after that we headed west and then north along the coast, helping Korrina out in Shalour City in the process. During that time, I learned about Showcases and performers and while I was already interested in Contests, those didn't have battles and were more girly so totally my style."

"When you know you want to do a journey but not what you want out of it, you tend to find it by chance." Dawn said recalling how May found and fell in love with Contests. "Some of us, like me and Ash, know what we want to become but others like you and May need a little time to discover your passion."

"Yeah, my friend Shauna introduced me to them, and I knew they were for me." Serena said with a smile at the memory. "That's how I became a performer. I had to suffer my loss in the Coumarine Showcase to really grow though. I was devastated at that loss because it was my fault Fennekin fell and I didn't advance past the Theme Performance. I cried but I knew that I had to push through it and be better. I, er, decided to cut my hair and change my outfit as a sign of my resolve. I keep my look as is because of that."

"May mentioned that you had a style change after your loss though not how extreme it was." Dawn said before sighing as she recalled her own first journey. "I've been there so I understand how hard it is at the start. Well not the cutting hair or wardrobe change but the struggling part. Losing is hard but it's how you recover from it that shows your true strength."

"You have?" Serena asked surprised at Dawn's words. "Based on what May has said and what I saw in the Grand Festival you are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Contests Dawn. It's hard to imaging you losing, even though I know you lost twice last year, or even struggling."

"I thank Ash, Brock, and Zoey mostly for getting me past that." Dawn said looking over to where Ash and Pikachu were with a fond smile. "Mainly Ash and Zoey as they really helped me when I was at my lowest. Well, them and a gym battle I had with Maylene in Veilstone City but that's a whole other story."

"What, what was your first journey like?" Serena asked both out of curiosity and as a way to understand and maybe even bond a little with Dawn, something she needed to do to truly become friends with the Sinnoh girl. "Like at the start that is."

"I won't lie, I was an arrogant brat who thought she knew everything but in fact knew very little when I started off though Ash and Nando set me straight there." Dawn said with a chuckle though Serena was shocked that someone as sweet and confident as Dawn was once like that. "My mom is a Top Coordinator who won it all as a rookie and only lost once in her career that I know of. I thought that because I had watched my mom's past, I knew it all. While I lost in a battle in my first Contest and was upset about it, I pushed on and won my second Contest."

"Sounds like you understood then." Serena said but was confused when she glanced at Dawn and noticed the other girl had a serious look as she stroked Piplup. "You had improved. I did the same. I won my second Showcase and really got the hang of them after that, though I did lose one more before I got my third Princess Key."

"I wish I understood back then." Dawn said her tone matching her look. "All that win did was inflate my undeserved ego. I lost a final in my next Contest in a place called Alamos Town, a place dear to my heart for a different reason, and that loss was to a local favorite so understandable. I was still overconfident going into my next Contest and that was where it all went wrong."

"Wrong?" Serena asked. "What went wrong."

"I didn't make it past the appeals." Dawn said surprising Serena, that was not what she'd expected as she'd seen how good Dawn's appeals were. "Twice."

"Twice?" Serena asked her shock deepening at that.

"Yeah, I made a lot of rookie mistakes that I shouldn't have." Dawn said recalling how hard it had been back in those early days. "It humbled me to the point of breaking."

"Breaking?" Serena asked now really shocked. "You almost broke Dawn?"

"I was failing at the first hurdle multiple times; I didn't know what to do." Dawn said sadly as she remembered the feelings of hopeless failure she had when she failed the second time. "I was on the brink of giving up on Contests all together. I thought that I wasn't cut out for them after all those failures."

"But you didn't." Serena said. "You found a way back to them."

"No, I made a friend in a similar, though not Contest, related boat in Veilstone City." Dawn said with a smile. "The gym leader there, Maylene. She had her own doubts, so we helped each other out by battling and I was ready to return from my break though I was still nervous."

"I can't imagine you like that." Serena admitted. "But then again I didn't know the rookie Dawn, I met you when you were an established and respected coordinator who was a Grand Festival Favorite."

"It shows how far I've come since those days." Dawn said. "I used the Wallace Cup as my return and when I advanced past the appeals, I was so happy that I rediscovered the joy of Contests, a joy I'd been losing along with those appeals. Then, when I won it and over May no less, I knew I was back. From then on, I build my confidence and skill back up. I beat the only person who my mom couldn't beat in my next final, that was a huge boost. After that I won my fourth overall, and third in a row, over a new rival in Ursula before I lost again."

"Sounds like me only with more Contests." Serena said. "I won two keys in a row before losing on my first attempt to qualify for the Master Class."

"Pretty much though I, er, lost in a semifinal." Dawn said again surprising Serena as she wasn't expecting her loss to be that soon in a Contest, well soon for Dawn.

"That's early for you isn't it?" Serena asked.

"Last time I didn't reach a final and that is including three Grand Festivals." Dawn said. "A record I now hold for better or worse."

"What happened?" Serena asked. "How did you lose so early."

"It was Mamoswine's first Contest and the first time since I earned his trust that I used him." Dawn explained. "He was still a little disobedient if he let his emotions get the best of him. After winning the first battle almost right away, he got frustrated against a tricky Carnivine from my rival Jessilina. She beat me handily and went on to win the Contest, but I bounced back and won my last Contest over Ursula again, while exercising some past demons in the process, to qualify for the Grand Festival."

"And you made it to the finals of your debut Grand Festival." Serena said. "May told me you did that, something she didn't manage until her third Grand Festival."

"That I did, and I lost by a fraction to Zoey in that final." Dawn said. "And I lost my second Grand Festival final, to my rival Ursula who isn't a friendly Contest rival of mine, by even less but that was the day Ash and I got together so it was worth it."

"I get that." Serena said trying to avoid her pain at the last part, but Dawn noticed it and shifted the topic.

"But that is my past experiences, knowing them will help you avoid my Contest mistakes." Dawn said. "But back to what you were saying, you had lost your first Showcase and then came back to Lumiose City, right?"

"Yeah, May had to go to Hoenn for the Wallace Cup in her hometown so we came because of the airport." Serena said. "Coumarine is pretty close to Lumiose City, directly northwest of it, so it was nearby. It also allowed Clemont to do some actual gym leader duties for a bit. Bonnie and I spent that time watching the Wallace Cup, we supported her in it so watching you beat her in the final was unfortunate. However, it was where I first saw who you were after hearing all of May's stories about you guys and preparing for my next showcase in Dendemille Town."

"And I take that that that's not near Santalune." Dawn said. "I still haven't gotten my head around Kalos geography."

"Same direction, different route." Serena said as she looked down at Scatterbug to continue her work. "In fact, was we never went Laverre City at all last year as that was due north and out of our way so visiting it later this year will be a first for us. From Dendemille there we had to head to Anistar to assist Professor Sycamore in some research there, so we never made it to Santalune. I think May met the gym leader during the battle to save Kalos as all the gym leaders were present for it, but I am not sure who she is."

Dawn was about to respond when she noticed the flash of a camera out of the corner of her eye and turned with a start to see a blonde woman in her early 20s if she had to guess with a fancy camera around her neck pointing it directly at Serena. She lowered it and looked a little embarrassed at the sudden interruption and Dawn noticing her.

"Sorry about that." The woman said with a sheepish smile. "I saw your friend with her Scatterbug and I just had to get a shot. With the fountain framing her in the background, well it was too perfect to pass up."

"That's ok." Dawn said smiling as Serena looked up as the newcomer approached them.

Dawn took the moment to study the woman. Her blonde hair was styled in a similar fashion to Emily's which surprised Dawn. The only difference, other then the color, was that it was a little more unruly in the back and the bangs framing her face were longer and curled up at the end. She also had startling green eyes that danced with cheer as she smiled at them.

The woman wore only a white tank top that didn't come all the way to her waist but still covered her navel while showing off her arms as she let the camera hang around her neck and rest on her bust. She also wore ¾ length forest green cargo shorts with 4 large pockets on them and black hiking boots with dark green laces. She accessorized her utilitarian outfit with a white cloth-like belt and a lighter green sweatband on her left wrist.

"It's a great picture, want to see it?" She said still smiling fiddling with her camera as she spoke. "Better than almost all the ones I got in the woods and that's saying something as that's most bug types' natural habitat."

"Sure." Serena said and the woman smiled wider as she reached them.

She then turned around so that her back was to them and the girls could see the picture on the camera screen, likely what she'd been trying to find. She wasn't lying, it was truly a great photo.

It showed just Serena sitting on the edge of the fountain with the water feature behind her framing her perfectly in the light and spray while not being the focus of the shot. No that was the Scatterbug in her lap that looked as contented as ever while Serena tenderly worked on it showing how much she cared for her Pokémon.

"That is a good picture." Serena said amazed. "Really good in fact."

"Thanks, I'll have a copy printed for you." The woman said with a smile putting the camera down and turning to face them again. "Just come by my place before you leave and I'll have it ready."

"It should be a good picture; my sister is a professional photographer." A new voice said causing the girls to look up at the second woman who was approaching them. "There you are Viola, I heard you were back in town at the same time as me, so I thought I'd come find you seeing as you weren't home yet when I checked."

"Yeah, I just got back Alexa." Viola said turning to speak to her sister. "I was going to head home but a saw this young lady's Scatterbug with the fountain behind her and her obvious love for it as she cared for it. I couldn't resist getting a picture."

Dawn and Serena took the moment caused by the exchange between the sisters to look over the newcomer. At a glance it was hard to see that they were sister as the other woman was older, talker and had brown hair in a piled-up style on her head.

However, there were two things that showed that they were sisters. The newcomer had the same shade of green eyes and a distinctive cowlick of hair that shot out from her fringe and hung out in front of her and the side. It ended in a curl like her sister but this woman, Alexa apparently, had the curl inwards while Viola's curled outwards.

The biggest difference between the two sisters though was their fashion style. While Viola had a clear utilitarian outfit, Alexa was dressed like a young professional. She wore a short-sleeved blouse that was black on top and the sleeves while red on the bottom half with the split being at, for lack of a better point of reference, her nipples. The large, popped collar and cuffs were white and it was cut low enough to show her upper chest but not her cleavage though Dawn figured that if she lent down it would be on full display.

Alexa also wore long, gray, tight pants and fashionable, brown, ankle boots with a small heel on them. The only odd thing was the thick black belt she wore with a large metal clasp and a large bag of sorts that rested on her rear.

To add to the look, she had a Pokémon hanging on her shoulder similar to how Pikachu hung out on Ash. Dawn had to admit, it was a real cute one. It was a quadrupedal yellow Pokémon with black paws, the top half of its head black save for a triangle between its wide, blue, eyes, and black ears that ended in a yellow tip. It just clung there smiling as the sisters chatted and caught up. Dawn had to find out what it was, so she scanned it with her Pokedex.

"Helioptile, the Generator Pokémon." The Pokedex chimed getting the women's attention back to them as the Helioptile looked at Dawn with curiosity in its eyes. "The frills on either side of its head have cells that generate electricity when exposed to sunlight."

"Sorry, I'm new to Kalos so I've never seen that Pokémon before." Dawn said blushing at the sudden attention before she stood to greet the woman, Serena doing the same and Piplup using that moment to slip out of her grasp and begin trying to get into the fountain. "I'm Dawn by the way."

"Serena." Serena said as Dawn held her hand out to the women shaking with each and noticing that Alexa had her nails painted a blood red, a feminine touch that Dawn rarely saw outside of formal events. "I'm from Kalos."

"I figured with how you have a Scatterbug." Viola said shaking hands with Serena. "And you're from Sinnoh I take it Dawn."

"Correct." Dawn said knowing that they'd seen Piplup and likely figured. "But I spent most of the last two years in Kanto, Johto and briefly Unova."

"Beautiful regions, all of them." Viola said. "I have photobooks filled with the bug types found in all of those regions, as well as Galar and Hoenn."

"Oh, you get around then." Serena said surprised that the woman had been to 8 regions.

"Not as much as I used to, certainly not as much as Alexa does, but I get around a fair bit." Viola said. "I'm not in Santalune as often as I should be and it's a bit of an issue actually, but I try to be here for at least two weeks a month."

"My sister specializes in bug type photos." Alexa explained. "Hence why she's been to the other regions. There are bug types in those regions that you can't find in Kalos."

"That explains the camera and the quality of the shot." Dawn said. "And what do you do Alexa?"

"I'm a journalist for the Lumiose Press out in Lumiose City." Alexa said. "So, I travel a fair bit for work, usually to some of the more unusual Pokémon competitions they have in other regions. I was recently in Hoenn in fact doing a piece on the PokeRinger competition they have out in Crossgate Town. I even entered my Noivern and almost won it so that was a lot of fun."

"I know PokeRinger competitions, we have them in Sinnoh as well." Dawn said. "I came across one in Squallville once but didn't have any flying types so I couldn't enter it. My boyfriend, though he wasn't that at the time, won it over his archrival in that region."

"Fascinating." Alexa said. "They are a really unique competition as it combines flying skills with precision and battle tactics. I wish we had them here but the only place with the right wind conditions is the Kalos Canyon out west but there are no towns there and they have a special form of sky battles there that you guys should try if you end up there."

"I was there last year; it was a lot of fun." Serena said. "I think we'll be there again in a few months as it's on the way to Shalour City for us."

"Make sure you have a flying type for it." Alexa said. "It's a lot more fun that way."

"So, what brings my sister back to her hometown then." Viola said interrupting them and putting her hands on her hips. "You aren't here that often Alexa."

"The Lumiose Press wants a profile on a specific trainer that just registered for the Kalos League." Alexa said and instantly Dawn, and Serena exchanged glances, there was about 0% chance that this person was not Ash given that description. "He came up in the registry last week, but I only got back to Kalos 3 days ago. I spoke with Professor Sycamore and he said that the trainer was coming to Santalune City to challenge the gym as his first gym badge, so I figured I'd use that as my profile base and see my dear sister in the process."

"Well, it is the best time for it now that I'm back." Viola said with a light laugh. "I presume that with you here you would like to take the best role for your work."

"If that's ok." Alexa said a hint of hesitation in her voice. "I am qualified to do it with permission."

"It will be fine so long as he agrees." Viola said. "Personally, I'd like it but it's up to him."

"Wait hold up, who is this trainer?" Dawn asked partly to confirm and partly to get back on topic as she was now confused by the women's conversation.

"He's the trainer who revealed the new fairy types to the world during the Indigo Conference last year that he was the runner-up in." Alexa said confirming that it was indeed Ash that she wanted to profile. "One Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town out in Kanto."

"Oh, he's in Kalos this year?" Viola said with a grin clearly knowing the name. "We're honored to have him. Someone who can change how the world views Pokémon in a single moment choosing to challenge our league this year will bring some attention and strong challengers. I can't wait to meet him."

"That will be sooner than you might expect." Dawn said surprising the women before turning and calling over to where Ash and Pikachu were doing whatever they were doing in the square. "Hey Ash, some women want to meet you."

"What?" Ash said looking up from his planning with Pikachu on what to do if their assumption that a Vivillon was an opponent the next day and Fletchling couldn't handle it in battle. "Oh, you've made new friends, great."

Ash picked Pikachu up so that he could make his way onto Ash's shoulder before he walked over to join the others. Once he got there, he noted the two older women were the ones who wanted to meet him as he didn't know who they were.

"Hey, I'm Ash from Pallet Town in the Kanto region." Ash said holding his hand out to the brown-haired woman who appeared to be the older of the two.

"Alexa and I know who you are and where you're from." Alexa said shaking Ash's hand surprising him. "I'm actually here to do a profile on you."

"I'm Viola, Alexa's younger sister and I'm not here to do a profile on you." Viola said with a smile as she shook Ash's hand as well.

"Oh, I didn't know someone wanted that." Ash said awkwardly. "I'm not used to it."

"Well, you should probably get used to being known by name at least." Alexa said. "Your name, and that of the boy you beat in the Indigo Conference quarterfinals, Cameron, are forever tied to the reveal of fairy types in the world. Anyone who is anyone in the Pokémon world, at least those who deal with battles, breeding, or other Pokémon based careers, likely knows your name after you changed the world as we know it."

"I didn't mean to be tied to it." Ash said embarrassed. "I was just trying to win a match the best way I knew how to and that was how I planned on countering Cameron's Hydreigon. I didn't even know it was a new type until I got confirmation that my Mr. Mime was one. Professor Oak deserves the credit for discovering them and it wasn't even me who started him on this path of discovery."

"No, it was a Sinnoh girl called Dawn who…" Alexa began before she suddenly turned to Dawn who was now smiling widely at her. "First reported it thanks to her Togekiss, the first confirmed fairy type. That would be you I presume. I'm sorry for not making the connection when you introduced yourself, I can be forgetful at times."

"It wasn't my intention to set the ball rolling on this, it just happened in a battle with a Gyarados." Dawn said with a shrug. "But over the course of the year Ash and I noticed a bunch of strange things like the immunity to dragon types and what we thought were normal types suddenly getting weak to poison type attacks. The with Ash's Porygon2 able to change its type when using Conversion2 producing an unexplained result and the story of how I caught my Spiritomb the last few pieces were in place for it to be confirmed."

"I have read the paper on it and all the occurrences and parties involved." Alexa said. "I had to to prepare for the profile on Ash. I was hoping to interview you in Lumiose City about this but when I found out you were coming here to challenge the gym leader; I knew it would be better to do a battle profile on you and your battle with the Santalune Gym Leader. Plus, I seldom get the chance to come here for business so I couldn't pass it up."

"Well, I was told that she wasn't in today, so I was waiting for her to return." Ash said. "Then I will challenge her to a battle for my first Kalos badge. I don't mind you watching that battle, I am used to an audience."

"Oh, I will be watching for sure." Alexa said. "I'm not missing this battle."

"And I accept your challenge." Viola said shocking the three teens as they turned to the grinning blonde woman. "Hello, I probably should have fully introduced myself, but I got distracted by my sister and Serena's Scatterbug. As I said, I'm Viola and I'm the Santalune Gym Leader."

"You are?" Ash asked. "Sorry I wasn't given a name for the gym leader here."

In response Viola reached into one of her pockets and produced a card and handing it over to Ash. It was her official Pokémon League card identifying her as the Santalune Gym Leader and a bug type specialist.

"Sorry for questioning." Ash said looking at it before passing it back to Viola.

"No, it's fine, I am not here as often as I should be, so I keep this on me when people ask." Viola said putting the card away. "So, you want to challenge me for the Bug Badge."

"Of course." Ash said excited. "That's what I'm here for."

"That's what I like to see." Viola said pleased that Ash was excited for the battle. "Tomorrow then, come by the gym first thing in the morning for our battle. Is it ok if Alexa officiates."

"It will help me with my profile." Alexa said. "As I'll get a really in depth look at your skills."

"I'm fine with it." Ash said with a nod. "I've had family members of gym leaders officiate before."

"Excellent then I will see you tomorrow and I will have the pictures ready for your friends." Viola said.

"Pictures, you only have the…" Dawn began when Viola suddenly pivoted, faced the fountain, and snapped off a shot she'd clearly been getting ready for. "Oh no."

Dawn turned and saw what she expected to see. Piplup was now frolicking and playing in the fountain the way only a water type could. He was having a great time and Dawn didn't want him to end it, but she also couldn't deal with trying to get him out and getting soaked in the process, so she had to do it.

Reaching behind her back, she felt around for the seldom used item and pulled it out before expanding it. It was Piplup's Poke Ball. He only went in before a battle or Contest appeal but right now he needed to get out of the fountain, and this was the easiest way to get him out of the fountain without getting wet.

With a flash of red and a squawk of protest, Dawn recalled him. He could stay in it for the night as Ash was going to have Pikachu rest with Nurse Joy overnight to be at his best for the battle which gave Dawn some private time with her boyfriend. She'd deal with the consequences of a pissed off Piplup in the morning.

"He won't be happy, but it would have been messy otherwise." Dawn said to the slightly stunned Ash and Serena. "I'll probably be frozen or pecked in the morning, but it will be worth it."

"Still got a good shot of him." Viola said as she showed Dawn a great shot of a happy Piplup leaping up out of the water with a spray of droplets around him that was almost perfectly in frame. "I'm best with bug types but a Pokémon having a great time is always worth a shot."

"Thank you, he'll love it." Dawn said with a smile. "His ego is rather large so anything that makes him look good feeds it."

"Hey guys I've just got the table sorted; we should head over there…oh hey Viola." May said causing all of them to turn to the Hoenn girl as she approached them. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Nurse Joy said you would be out for a few more days."

"I got the shots I wanted so I came back early." Viola said as she and May shook hands while Ash, Dawn and even Serena gaped at the familiarity May had with Viola. "Good to see you again May. I could say the same thing back to you, what are you doing here?"

"Ash and I are friends from my first adventure back when he visited Hoenn and we met on my first day as a trainer." May said with a smile. "I met Dawn when I went to Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup and learned that she was traveling with Ash there. When both of them decided to come to Kalos this year we had to travel together again."

"I see and is Dawn a Top Coordinator like you then?" Viola asked.

"That she is." May confirmed. "She won the Kanto Grand Festival last year in spectacular fashion. She's joining me on the same job helping with the Contests while Ash challenges gyms."

"Oh, I know that much seeing I have already accepted his challenge for tomorrow." Viola said. "I can't wait to see what he can do."

"I won't say anything but he's the one who taught me the basics." May said. "So, you're in for a good challenge."

"Well after what you did before the Lumiose Conference I'm even more excited to see what he can do." Viola said. "This is going to be a lot of fun."

"You're referring to the incident, right?" Ash asked finally recovering from the surprise.

"That we are." May said with a nod. "I never met Viola before it, but I had met several of the other gym leaders before, so I figured out who she was by process of elimination and seeing her Vivillon. They all helped Alain and me break through to the monster thing that was going to destroy Kalos. The Mega Blaziken and Alain's Mega Charizard teamed up to break through it's out shell thing so that Alain could save the Chespin in there and end it. It was a wild day, but I met with all the gym leaders afterwards and that's where I formally met Viola."

"Weren't you involved with that as well Serena?" Dawn asked.

"I was but I was in the helicopter and not on the ground like the gym leaders, so we never met." Serena said. "Hence why I didn't recognize Viola."

"Oh, you were the girl with the Braixen." Viola said and Serena nodded in confirmation. "Every little helped in that incident."

"It took all of us to save Kalos." May said. "But Ash and Dawn are no strangers to that kinda thing seeing as this is normal for Ash."

"Well, you will have to tell me more one day, but I think you guys have dinner to get to." Viola said and Ash's stomach roared in agreement causing them all to laugh at that. "Alright rest up, I expect a good battle tomorrow Ash."

"Will do, I have a badge to earn after all." Ash said as the women bade them farewell.

"Come on, Ash's stomach isn't the only one that is growling." May said holding her own. "I'll tell you guys more about that incident over dinner, but we should get moving as the table is ready now."

The others just nodded as Serena recalled Scatterbug and they headed to dinner. It had been an interesting evening in Santalune City for sure, none of them had expected to meet the gym leader like that but it had been a pleasant meeting, and everything was set for tomorrow.

First though, they needed dinner and a good night's rest because in the morning Ash challenged Viola for his first Kalos gym badge. His journey to the Kalos Conference had just begun and Ash intended for it to begin with a success.

So May has met Viola once but not Serena showing that May took a different route to Ash when she was in Kalos and of course all of that will be seen in May's spinoff when that comes out after Hearts 5. Going forward, there will be similar interactions between May and the other gym leaders with various different levels of reaction depending on how well she knew them and of course to further tease her spinoff. One thing to note as I am sure there will be people confused so I will clarify it, while I do use the game maps to figure out where the main cities are and the routes they generally take, our heroes won't always follow the routes and just cut across the region as they do in the anime, which always shows more of each region then the games do. So the games are the base for the general geography but don't expect the routs to be followed precisely. Anyway, that is all I have for now so as always please remember to favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), follow, and review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.

Stringdog