Chapter 5: Serena's Goal


Hundreds of spectators anxiously waited inside the Jubilife city's contest hall auditorium while many more watched via television across Sinnoh and even some other regions.

"Presenting our next finalist, Coordinator, and Performer, Serena!" The announcer cried to roaring applause.

Four spotlights lit up the center stage, first revealing six Pokemon, all masterfully dressed up in blue and white adornments that didn't restrict their movement whatsoever. The team included Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Absol, Roserade, and Charizard. Each Pokemon's attire varied slightly, but Absol and Charizard's were particularly unique as each had a glittering stone, unlike any others. Absol wore his on a ring around one of his front right paws, while Charizard had hers attached to a distinct handkerchief tied up into a bow on her head.

At last, the spotlights revealed Serena herself, standing directly in the center of her Pokemon. The performer wore a similar dress as her Pokemon and was done up in a distinct Sinnoh style, much to her audience's delight.

"Let's go!" Serena held her hand out, and the Pokemon began their routine to the sound of music.

"Grauuu!" Charizard spun herself while flying up and over Serena, then unleashed a fire spin.

"Phox!" Delphox took Serena by the hands and began a passionate dance with her trainer, all the while using Psychic to control Charizard's fire spin, causing the flames to move in more artistic patterns around them, adding a fiery flair to their dance.

"Dark Pulse, Petal Dance!"

"Cham!"

"Rade!" Pancham and Roserade used their moves without interrupting their dancing, both moves perfectly colliding to give the rose petals a gleaming aura.

"Night slash!" Serena touched a keystone embedded in her ring, and Absol emerged as Mega Absol.

"Sol!" Mega Absol's appearance already whipped the audience into a frenzy, which only grew when they saw him slash through the fire and dark petals, carrying them around himself and the other team members.

By then, Pancham and Roserade joined in Serena's dance, each taking their turn with her while Mega Absol moved through the openings. The judges and audience members alike sat in awe at the sheer level of coordination Serena's team displayed. Normally a skilled coordinator would have an extremely well-choreographed routine with precise movements and desired effects, or they'd use a more passionate freestyle. Each had its merits and took great expertise. However, Serena seemed to pull off both styles together, leaving the judges speechless.

However, Serena hadn't even revealed her real trump card yet. The spectators went silent when Serena raised her arms again, revealing that her dress had a wingsuit's glider attachments. She then touched a second keystone embedded into her necklace, and within moments, Charizard emerged as Mega Charizard Y.

"Hurricane!" Serena's other Pokemon cleared away, and Charizard Y lifted her up with the powerful winds. Serena spread her dress's wings and glided across them as if dancing in the sky. All the while, Hurricane carried all of the pedals into the air around her.

Finally, Serena reached Charizard Y herself and joined hands as they began a fiery dance together in midair, spinning, gliding, and climbing. As this happened, the pedals continued to consolidate until each of Serena's Pokemon on the ground unleashed a move into them.

"Heat Wave!"

"Grauu!" Charizard Y's fiery wind into the pedals simultaneously with the others' moves, which then exploded into glittering bursts like fireworks. Serena and Charizard Y flew down together, landing and posing with her other Pokemon.

"Finish!" Serena couldn't get the words out of her mouth before the audience exploded with the same passion Serena gave during her performance. Hundreds of pink glowsticks lit up the dark auditorium while the three judges handed out perfect scores.

"Breathtaking! Truly inspiring!" The announcer almost squealed.

Serena and her team humbly bowed, unaware of one spectator in particular who watched from a TV screen miles away in Lily of the Valley Island airport.

Ash and Pikachu lost themselves to Serena's performance, neither aware of their surroundings.

"Serena, she was here in Sinnoh." Ash muttered.

"Final boarding call for Flight 4445B to New Viridian City."

"Ash, come on, we're going to miss our flight!" Delia scolded her son while grabbing his arm. Despite this, Ash looked back at the television screen, and Pikachu saw true conflict in his partner's eyes.


Back in Jubilife City, Serena carefully exited the contest hall via a side exit, disguising herself with a different hat, outfit, and a pair of fake glasses, much like her inspiration Aria used to wear when trying to avoid public attention.

Delphox held their new contest ribbon and gazed upon it with a sense of pride and accomplishment, slowly passing it around to the others. By this point, Serena didn't care much for ribbons, princess keys, or other trinkets she'd won in various performances and contests.

Instead, she savored the performances themselves and their impact on those who watched them.

"Performer Serena is so cool!" She heard a girl of perhaps ten beams as she watched a recording of her recent performance.

"Ralts and I are going to become great coordinators just like her!" Another girl declared.

"Not if Shinx and I do first!"

Hearing the sense of joy and motivation in the girls gave Serena a warm smile. Not from hearing them praise her but knowing that her performance inspired them towards a goal.

"Goal." Serena thought when she saw a vast crowd of excited trainers gather before one of Jubilife city's many jumbo tv screens.

"And now highlights from Alolan Champion Ash's victory against Sinnoh Champion Cynthia."

The television showed Ash's Staraptor knocking away Shadow balls from Cynthia's Spiritomb using Steel Wing before knocking the Ghost out with Brave Bird.

"Ash." Serena sighed, wondering what her victory might've ultimately cost her.

"With this win, Alolan Champion Ash has now beaten every regional champion in the last few months alone!" The tv screen then showed highlights from Ash's battles against Gary, Iris, Steven, Leon, Alain, and finally, Cynthia.

Serena's Charizard's eyes turned to hearts when the tv screen played Ash's Mega Charizard Z facing Leon's Gigantamax'd Charizard.

"Grauuu!" She roared, clasping her paws together, earning sweatdrops from the others, save Serena, who giggled, particularly when the screen switched to Ash's Mega Lucario and Delphox started to blush slightly.

"I'll bet Champion Ash is going to challenge Kaiser Daniel soon!"

"Obviously, who else can he battle!?"

"You think he'll win?"

"No way, the Kaiser makes even regional champions look like rookies! Don't forget what happened the last time Ash faced Daniel!"

"I've heard the rumors that Ash has been training with the Kaiser for years, ever since their last battle!"

"Maybe he'll disappear again."

Serena tightened her fist in a mix of angst and frustration. She remembered his promise to her the last time they'd seen each other five years earlier and reminded herself that Ash wasn't the type to make promises and not keep them.

Even so, she also made a promise to him back in Kalos just before leaving for Hoenn. Yet, for the last five years, no one knew where he was, including Serena.

"He won't disappear!"

"No one knows where he lives because he doesn't live anywhere. He's constantly traveling!"

"No way. He's still technically the Alolan Champion. He has to live in Alola."

"I hear rumors he actually lives in New Viridian City!"

Serena held her heart and sighed deeper. Each of her Pokemon came around to comfort their trainer.

She, too, heard those rumors as of late, yet despite this, she hadn't traveled there. Serena considered doing so multiple times, yet each time, she hesitated, an overwhelming feeling of angst and fear overcoming her.

"He's here!"

"Eh?" Serena muttered while several crowd members quickly turned towards a trainer racing towards them.

"Ash Ketchum is in Jubilife City!"

"What? Are you crazy? He was all the way on Lily of the Valley Island earlier today."

"There's a trainer down at the battlefield near Fifth street who looks just like Ash and is battling with a Lucario!"

Many gave skeptical looks but followed him down the streets. Serena wasn't sure what to make of this, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she returned her Pokemon before following.

Serena kept a safe distance so as not to be recognized, passing through several of Jubilife city's lively streets before arriving at a battlefield where two trainers battled.

"See!" Serena and many others gasped when they saw the trainer's thick raven black hair and Lucario in front of him.

"Ash!?" Serena almost couldn't believe her eyes and trembled.

"Bronzong, use Extraterrestary!"

"Extremespeed!"

"Eh?" Serena heard the voice, and while it somewhat resembled Ash's, it wasn't quite the same, sounding older.

The Lucario moved so fast that Extraterrestary couldn't take hold of him, and he knocked Bronzong off-balance.

"Confuse Ray!"

"Dodge and use Aura Sphere!"

"Grouu!" The Lucario acrobatically leaped over Bronzong, avoiding Confuse Ray, and then blasted him in the back at point-blank range.

"Bronzong!" The second trainer cried, his Pokemon slamming onto his face unconscious.

"Brongzong is unable to battle. Lucario is the winner!" A referee shouted.

Many excited trainers ran over, but each looked slightly disappointed when they got a better look at the Lucario's trainer. Serena already knew by his clothes, body, and hints of grey in his hair that this couldn't be Ash.

Her suspicions were confirmed when he turned enough for Serena to see his face. Oddly enough, he bore an almost uncanny resemblance to Ash, even having his brown eyes and distinctly passionate expression.

"Well done, Lucario!"

"Grouuu!" Lucario and his trainer locked arms while their opponent returned Bronzong.

Serena sighed with immense disappointment and started off, her head hung low. She wasn't quite sure where her path led but followed it regardless. This continued for several minutes before bumping into someone.

"Ohh, sorry." Serena said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine. Are you ok, miss?"

"I-" Serena started before looking up and realizing in shock that the trainer from earlier stood before her.

"Eh?! Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"You look a little upset, is something wrong?" He sounded genuinely concerned about her in a manner that, oddly enough, reminded her of Ash. However, this only complicated matters and made Serena feel even more overwhelmed than she already was.

"You just reminded me of someone I know, is all... Someone I haven't seen for a long time."

The trainer and his Lucario looked closer at Serena with interest.

"Hold on. You seem familiar too. Wait, don't tell me you're the famous performer Serena-"

Serena gave a crestfallen expression and frantically covered the man's mouth as several passing spectators watched with interest.

"Please, don't."

"Ahhh, you don't want the attention. My apologies. Why don't I get you somewhere a bit secluded."

"Merci." Serena muttered as more intrigued people and Pokemon approached.

Several minutes later, they sat together at a cafe in a somewhat remote part of the city. Serena sighed in relief, avoiding the swarming crowds and slowly sipping on her coffee.

"I imagine it's not much compared to what you must've had back in Kalos." The trainer chuckled, making Serena slightly bashful, not wanting to admit he was right in front of a nearby server.

"I never got your name." She said, hoping to change the subject.

"Hai, my name's Felix, Felix of New Bark Town. This my partner, Lucario."

"Grouu!" Lucario gave Serena a friendly smile and nodded.

"So you're a trainer?" Serena asked.

"Hai, you could say that. You're a bit surprised at my lack of notoriety given my age." Serena sweatdropped and buried her face in her coffee, trying her best not to say anything potentially rude while thinking of a response.

"No, I just-"

"Ha ha ha! You're fine. I won't deny my ambitions didn't turn out quite the way I hoped they would when I started my journey. You seem to have found much more success in your career. That was quite a performance today."

"I did my best, and I had a lot of help along the way." Serena smiled while thinking back fondly to her first journey across Kalos, and particularly Ash's impact on her.

However, this joy quickly faded back into sorrow as Serena thought more about Ash.

"Serena, something's bothering you. I can tell." Felix said, unwittingly making the situation worse by just how much his mannerisms reminded Serena of Ash.

"I'm fine. It's just. You remind me of someone, someone very special to me."

"Really?" Felix looked surprised.

Serena nodded and stared at a blue ribbon tied around the collar of her shirt.

"He was my friend, well, he was more than a friend actually." Felix and his Lucario smirked a little.

"More than a friend, could he be your betrothed?" Felix joked, but Serena's face beamed brightly, the older man not realizing he wasn't far off from the truth.

"He was just a major inspiration in my life. He helped me find my path, encouraged me to pursue my dream, and keep going even when I struggled and faltered."

Felix nodded.

"Hai, he sounds wonderful."

"He's more than that."

"Well, it sounds like you want to reunite with him. Why not seek him out? I'm sure he'd be quite happy to see you too. Unless you don't know where to find him."

Serena shook her head and sighed again.

"No, I have a pretty good idea of where he is. That's not the problem."

Felix and his Lucario gave her a curious look.

"What is the problem then?"

Serena placed both hands over the blue ribbon, and Felix saw a mixture of determination and angst in her expression.

"When we first departed from each other, I told him that he was my goal. That when we next met, I'd become a much more beautiful woman."

Felix sweatdropped with a slightly nervous expression, not sure what to say considering their age gap without coming off as a bit creepy.

"Well, you-" Serena noticed this and giggled slightly.

"Anyway, we did meet again, briefly."

"Really, what happened?"

Serena leaned her head against her hands and thought back to that day in the World Coronation Series Finals.

"I wasn't sure if I was ready yet, but I knew he wasn't. But when he departed again, he made me a promise too." Serena couldn't help but blush a little, earning Felix's renewed interest.

"What kind of promise?"

Serena now appeared extremely flustered, nearly as much as she had the day he made the promise. Serena considered a less embarrassing way of explaining it but eventually decided to simply be honest and blushed more intensely.

"He promised that once he completed his goal, he'd marry me."

"Grouuu!" Lucario muttered. Felix, by contrast, broke out into intense laughter, almost tearing up.

"Subarashī, he's bold, to say the least. I like him already!" After calming down, Felix started to understand what bothered Serena.

"He hasn't completed this goal, has he."

Serena's excitement faded back into angst.

"He's close, closer than he's ever been. But he still might not achieve it, and I'm afraid-"

"Ahh, you're afraid to see him because he hasn't completed the goal."

Serena reluctantly nodded.

"Hmm, that is a problem." Serena now saw genuine pain and guilt in Felix's expression as he sat back and closed his eyes.

"Serena, I won't lie. He reminds me a bit of myself. Many years ago, I had a family, but I also had dreams of my own." Felix gazed out at the various television screens showing professional battles.

"I aspired to become a world-renowned trainer, something my own father failed to do. So one day, I left, promising my wife and young son that I'd come back after achieving my dream. This was almost sixteen years ago."

"Eh!? You left your family!?" Serena muttered as immense shame overcame Felix.

"Hai. I don't think my son quite understood it at the time. I went off and made some progress, collected eight badges, and even won the Indigo League." Felix smiled, but only slightly.

"I thought maybe I could pull it off, and soon I'd go back home, making my son proud of me. But after that initial success, it didn't quite pan out. I got stalled and stagnant. That was until I took on a student."

"A student?" Felix nodded back with a warm smile, as did Lucario.

"He was a young trainer just starting his journey, but like me, he wasn't finding any success and came close to quitting. I sympathized with him and promised to help him. This went on longer than I intended. After a year of training him, he went on to win the Indigo League like me, and it felt good like I'd finally accomplished something."

Serena started to understand.

"So you kept training him."

Felix nodded.

"Hai, I stayed with him for almost six years. By then, he'd traveled to every region, won every league, and even beat a regional champion. I realized he'd surpassed me and couldn't have been prouder until I realized something."

The older trainer's pride faded into shame.

"I'd failed to achieve my own goals and spent years away from my wife and son. By then, my boy had started his own journey and forgotten about me. I couldn't come home, not then."

Lucario came closer and tried to comfort his trainer, who was on the verge of tears.

"I convinced myself that if I could achieve my goals, I could come back and make everything right. But it's been over ten years since then, and I'm still no closer than I was a decade ago."

"Where's your son now and your student?"

"My student has gone somewhere no trainer has before. As for my son, he's not far behind."

Serena found that last bit interesting, but Felix continued.

"He's surpassed all my achievements, and only now do I realize it was my pride keeping me from coming home. I could've been there to help him along the way, give him strength, and be a father. But I didn't."

"Felix-" Serena started before his face hardened into fiery steel, frightening her.

"Serena, don't let him make the same mistake as me! If he made this promise, then that should tell you how he feels! Don't be afraid!"

Serena felt the fire in his eyes light a blaze in her heart, oddly enough, just the way Ash used to.

"Yes! Yes, you're right! I can't be afraid, not anymore!" Serena stood up tall and held her fist up.

"I'm going to achieve my goal, and you won't get away this time!"

Felix laughed a little before similarly feeling inspired by Serena.

"Hai. I can't be afraid anymore either." Felix stood up and similarly raised his fist.

"I'm going to find my son and make things right!"

"Grouu!"


Author's note

Yep a Serena dedicated chapter, as I said, she wouldn't play a minor role in the story

I hope you guys liked the new Pokemon I gave her, I thought they'd be fitting for her

She's also met someone else interesting, but who could he be?

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)