Author's Note:

Ugh...this chapter gave me fits. I wrote it, then changed my mind on things previously, then added a scene, deleted a scene, transferred a scene, re-wrote a scene...re-wrote another scene...ugh. Anyway, generally a lot of the main plot stuff is the same as the original idea here...it's just a different way of going about it. Not that that changes anything for you. Hopefully it doesn't seem screwed up. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 12: A Memory

Despite having cheered for Trevor, and being disappointed by his loss, Serena couldn't help but be inspired by Astrid's impressive performance with her Absol. As Professor Sycamore had wrapped up the end of the match, congratulating both teams on their efforts, Serena had headed over to talk to Astrid to congratulate her herself.

It wasn't only her, either, with Absol being clearly intrigued by his Mega Evolved counterpart. It seemed to have made both more eager to grow stronger and prepare themselves for their quest to find the Mega Stone.

Her brief conversation with Astrid after the battle had given her something extra to think about, however. And, as Serena had joined her friends on the way to the Performance theatre, she couldn't get her head straight. She was excited as she continued to think, but she didn't know if it was really the right time to try what she was considering.

Dawn had seemed to notice Serena being lost in thought as they waited outside the Performance theatre, and while the others were talking about the battles and trying to encourage Trevor, she asked Serena what was up. "You look like you're worried about your performance. Everything okay?"

"No...not really," Serena said, glancing down to her side where Absol was looking up at her curiously. "I've just been thinking a lot about that Mega Stone and what we need to do if we're going to find it."

Dawn nodded, looking at Absol and then back to Serena. "You two have been training pretty hard. What exactly are you worried about? It seems like you guys are in perfect sync."

Serena shrugged, looking over as Ash was calling out his other Pokemon to see the newly evolved Decidueye. "It just feels like we're missing something. We have a lot of different routines, and even our battle training has gone well." She shook her head. "I don't know...I guess we haven't had the opportunity to try it all out."

Dawn thought about that for a moment, and then smiled as though coming up with an idea. "Well how about you try something different. Tierno can do the double contest battle and you and Absol can do the one on one battle. I can do one of the performances!"

Serena blinked in surprise. "I don't know. We didn't really prepare for that."

Dawn waved her hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter. You've trained plenty and you do well when you get the chance to battle. You even nearly beat Ash in Professor Sycamore's tournament. You have a coordinator's instincts with all the performing you've done. Fantina knows you can do it, too. You've done some practice with her, right?"

Serena considered that, remembering some of the training battles Fantina had put them all through. It wasn't like a contest battle was completely new to her at this point. She'd even been in a limited one to enter into the school. It had weighted her performing moves more heavily, but Absol did have a fighter's instincts. "Do you really think we should risk it?"

"It's not a risk," Dawn assured her. "Shauna and Tierno will do great as usual, and we've worked on this. We're ready. There's no need to worry!"

Serena couldn't help but laugh at Dawn's catchphrase. "Well...if you think we should do it...let's go for it!"

The rest of the team seemed oddly excited by the change of plans. Perhaps giving them a bit of a different look was just what they needed. Coumarine had shown in the battle round that they weren't going to be an easy win, despite the sweep from the match in the first semester. Maybe giving them something that couldn't have been planned for would be the right move.

It wasn't too long before the Performance Team headed backstage, and the others headed to the seats. Sometimes, Dawn and Tierno would sit with them during the performances, but this time the coordinators and performers decided to stick together given their different approach. They decided that Dawn would do the Theme Performance, while Shauna would do the Freestyle, as Dawn was more used to keeping the Pokemon the focus in contests and Shauna understood more about being part of it in the Freestyle round.

They waited in silence until Fantina could be heard on the stage, explaining the rules and informing the crowd of who would be performing first, and what the task for the Theme Performance would be. Serena could see Dawn listening intently as Fantina described the task, and Serena was glad to see that she didn't look nervous at all. In fact, she seemed quite confident.

When Dawn finally went out onto the stage, Serena, Tierno and Shauna looked to the screen that was backstage to watch the performance, getting a better view of the task that Dawn would have to perform. It seemed fairly simple, with two blocks of ice that would apparently need to be sculpted with the help of a Pokemon to demonstrate their bond with their trainer. Serena wasn't surprised to see Dawn select Buneary as her partner, while her opponent from Coumarine, Vanessa, selected Chikorita.

Serena listened as Fantina prepared to call for the performers to start. "Both performers will have ten minutes to complete ze task," she announced to the crowd. Serena could see the many intrigued faces, and almost regretted not being able to do the task herself. She could already imagine something pretty unique using Braixen. She was sure Dawn would do well, though, and she watched in interest as Fantina called out, "Begin!"

"Buneary, I know exactly what we can do. Start things off with Dizzy Punch, right in the middle!" Dawn's first command was quick and exact, and the confidence seemed to catch her opponent off guard, with Vanessa turning to watch a moment, distracted by Buneary's quick work in chipping away a few chunks of ice.

It was surprising for Serena as well, but also quite inspiring. As Dawn and Buneary continued, they didn't miss a step. They'd seamlessly made the transition from coordinating to performing. Obviously there were many similarities between the two things, but Serena wasn't sure if she could be as adaptable with moving from the performing aspect to the coordinating aspect just yet. She supposed she would find out soon enough.

Before too long, as Dawn and Buneary worked to the crowd's amazement, the time ran out, and the two performers called a halt to their Pokemon, while Fantina called for the judges to begin their examinations. Serena was impressed by Vanessa's work, with her Chikorita having used a combination of Razor Leaf and Vine Whip to shape the ice into what appeared to be flower that obviously symbolized the love of grass types Vanessa must have. Dawn's was something else to behold though.

It was in the shape of Prism Tower, easily recognizable to everyone in the crowd who saw the tower every day. However, what made it stand out, and what showed off the bond between Dawn and her Pokemon as the task was meant to, was what the tower appeared to be made of on a closer look.

At the top, it appeared to have an image of Dawn's face. Lower, it appeared to have Piplup, and then Buneary, and Quilava, and Vivillon and so on. They blended in so perfectly that it didn't take away from the beauty of the tower itself, but when looked at closely, they showed to be impressive images in their own right.

"And ze winner is..." Fantina called out as the judges finished their tally of points. "Dawn from Lumiose University!"

The crowd cheered loudly at that, and Serena could see Ash and the others in the crowd leading the way. She was glad to see Trevor looking cheered up after his defeat. It was definitely what the group needed after the minor setback. The momentum was clearly back on their side.

The momentum carried over into the Freestyle Performance as well, with Shauna taking on Tifa. Shauna had practiced a few routines with Serena for when she would be in a Freestyle Performance again, and Serena was blown away by the variety of things she was able to show in as she, Ivysaur and Skitty took to the stage. Their initial performance made great use of Skitty's quick and playful movements, while Ivysaur managed to create an atmosphere around Shauna and the two Pokemon that fully drew people in.

"Ivysaur, use Sweet Scent! Skitty, use Disarming Voice!" she called out as the performance moved into the more competitive stage, with the trainers competing for the audience's and judges' attention. While Disarming Voice wasn't pleasant in battle for some Pokemon, it blended perfectly with Sweet Scent, appearing to have a soothing effect on the audience as the two attacks swept over them in a pink glow.

Serena tried to see what Tifa was doing on the other end of the stage, but Shauna was very hard to turn away from, even despite an impressive display of Steel Wing and Spikes from Tifa's Skarmory. Before Serena knew it, the spotlight seemed to only be on Shauna, Ivysaur and Skitty, and the three of them thrived more and more as they continued.

"Ivysaur, let's finish with Energy Ball! Skitty, use Disarming Voice!" Shauna yelled as things began to wrap up, the crowd cheering loudly for her.

"Saur!"

"Mrow!"

Energy Ball was the first to be released, firing into the air above the crowd, shining brightly like a green disco ball in the stage lights. A moment later, Skitty's Disarming Voice struck it, hitting it with the strange melody that gave it an odd pink glow. The Energy Ball suddenly began to shake, before exploding in green and pink lights, that almost seemed like fireworks. The crowd went wild once more, and Serena was sure she, Dawn and Tierno were even louder backstage as they cheered.

As Fantina announced the expected result, and Shauna returned backstage while things were being set up for the contest battles, Serena found that she had almost forgotten she was about to go out there. She did feel better, knowing that Dawn and Shauna had earned the first two points for their team, but a bit more nervousness came to her the more she thought about it. She tried to put it out of her mind as she went to get changed.

When she was ready, she rejoined her teammates, Shauna explaining how she'd come up with some of the ideas for her performance, with Skitty having been improving steadily in recent weeks. She'd been training hard with various combinations with Disarming Voice, and found that it worked best with Ivysaur's moves.

"I bet some of those combinations would do well in a contest battle," Dawn said, looking thoughtful. "It could really throw off an opponent, but it still really shows off the beauty of the attack as well."

"You'll have to think like that now, Serena," Tierno pointed out, sounding excited for her, but unknowingly adding to some of her nerves. "Absol's up to it, though, I bet!"

"No need to worry, Serena," Dawn assured her, seeming to sense some of her nerves. "Just work with Absol like it's any performance, and then just remember you've got to land some attacks with it. Work together and you'll be fine."

Serena nodded, appreciating that Dawn seemed confident in her and that her advice was simple. "We'll do our best!"

As if on cue, they heard Fantina calling out to the crowd for their attention and announcing the contest battles were about to take place. She gave a quick rundown of the rules and the setup for the single and double battles, before asking for the first two trainers to head out.

"For Coumarine College," Fantina announced as the trainers emerged, "we have Brian!" Everyone cheered politely, but Serena did notice the Coumarine students were the loudest. "And for our very own Lumiose University," Fantina continued as the crowd grew louder, "we have Serena!"

Her friends were the loudest, but the entire audience cheered enthusiastically for her, and it gave Serena a bit of a confidence boost. She was beginning to get excited now, knowing that this would be valuable experience for Absol, and for her. It was a huge step to take if they ever planned to reach their goal of getting that Mega Stone and eventually having Absol Mega Evolve.

As the two trainers took their positions and the crowd quieted down, Fantina explained the time limit rules once again, and then stood back. "Now trainers, please select your Pokemon!"

"Charmeleon, let's go!" Brian shouted, his fire type emerging in a flash of light, flipping through the air as he let out a circle of flame. The crowd applauded at that, watching eagerly as Serena went next.

"Absol, come on out!" she cried out, Absol emerging in the bright light. He didn't do quite the flashy entrance that Charmeleon did, but he impressed the audience with a roar and stood proud, confident and eager. Serena was proud of him, knowing this would be tough for him, too, and admiring his willingness to jump right in.

As the crowd drew quiet, the scoreboard lit up, showing both trainers and their points totals full, with the time underneath. Serena sighed as she prepared for the battle to begin, knowing that she would need to act quickly like Ash, and precise like Dawn if she was going to keep up with the experience her opponent had. Performing did help her with flashier moves, but battles were still different. Absol had the spirit for it, though, so she believed in him.

"Let ze battle begin!" Fantina then called out, and the time began to run down.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" Brian shouted first, his Charmeleon opening its mouth and beginning to run, flames already shooting forth.

Serena had a counter, ready, though, knowing Absol could avoid the flames easily. "Detect, Absol!"

"Sol!" he cried out, eyes flashing as the flames drew near, before he darted to the side, avoiding them easily as Charmeleon continued his run. That's when Serena realized she'd fallen into a trap, despite causing Brian to lose a few points from the missed attack.

"Dragon Claw!" her opponent then yelled, with Charmeleon displaying quick movement and flipping to the side to swipe a glowing green claw across Absol's back, and then flipping backwards as the Disaster Pokemon stumbled.

"Impressive!" Fantina called out, while Serena's score dropped below Brian's. "Using Flamethrower to hide himself, Charmeleon delivers ze Dragon Claw with perfect accuracy!"

Serena winced, wishing she'd been more prepared for that. It was the kind of move Ash might've used, so she had seen combinations like that before. It was a bit different, though, with Charmeleon blending in with the flames. That was what made it a flashy contest battle move. She needed to find more ways to combine her attacks like that.

Brian was ready to keep up the assault, now having the lead, and Serena clenched her fists as he called his next order. "Charmeleon, use another Flamethrower!"

Serena was sure he wasn't going to use the same combination twice, but she knew she needed to act, and do something different than last time. "Absol, counter it with Psycho Cut! Straight through!"

"Absol!" Absol confirmed, horn glowing pink as the flames began to burst forth from Charmeleon, while Brian called out another order Serena didn't quite hear. The pink, crescent-shaped attack flew forth, bursting through the flames and creating a pink and red dust that caused Brian's points to drop to even with Serena's.

She felt good about that for a moment, but then she noticed that past the distinguished Flamethrower, was only smoke, and Charmeleon appeared to be gone. Both her and Absol looked around, unsure of where the fire type was, and then suddenly, Brian was calling out another order.

"Dragon Claw, again!"

"Charrr!" Charmeleon cried, descending on Absol from above and slicing at him with a glowing green claw once more. Absol cried out in pain, stumbling to the side as Charmeleon danced away to avoid any quick counterattacks.

"Brian is displaying quick movements with his Charmeleon," Fantina commented, the crowd calling out encouragement for Serena at the same time. "Absol has remained still much of ze match so far."

Serena knew she was right, and she noticed her score had dropped quite a bit more, with Brian having a more sizable lead. She needed a combination of her own, and quick. She couldn't afford to wait around. "Absol, use Double Edge!" she then shouted, not wanting to give Brian the chance to attack first again.

"Sol!" Absol narrowed his eyes as he locked on to Charmeleon, and then he ran as hard as he could, head aimed low to strike with all his might.

Brian looked like he was considering the attack a moment, before he called his next move. "Charmeleon, use Smokescreen!"

"Blow it away with Icy Wind!" Serena countered, smiling at the shocked look on Brian's face.

As Absol ran, and Charmeleon began to blow smoke up around himself, a cold wind suddenly shot forth. It didn't seem to bother Charmeleon much, other than a brief shiver, but it did quickly remove his hiding place, and before he could do anything else, Absol struck. With Icy Wind having made a light sheet of ice in front of him, it was an impressive sight, with Charmeleon sliding away, while Absol stopped in a spray of snow.

"Charrr!" Charmeleon cried out, wincing as he stood.

Serena heard the crowd cheer loudly, and glanced back at the scoreboard, finding she'd managed to take the lead, with her points about two thirds full, while Brian's had dropped to just above half. She knew she needed to keep it up, though, with her advantage having come by taking the lead. "Now Absol, use Psycho Cut!"

"Counter it with Swift!"

The two attacks clashed between the two Pokemon with a shower of pink and gold sparks. Serena saw both of their points decrease a bit, but felt fine, knowing she still had the lead. If she could keep on the offensive, she could continue to chip away at Brian's points, while her own stayed above, even if she lost some points too.

"Absol, use Icy Wind!" she shouted confidently, smiling as the crowd cheered once more. She was beginning to enjoy this.

"Sol?" Absol looked a little surprised at the order, but he quickly followed up on it, turning his head back and sending the icy energy out towards Charmeleon.

"Flamethrower!" Brian ordered in answer, watching the scene in front of him with narrowed eyes.

"Charrr!" Serena watched closely as well, seeing the flames burn through the ice and cause the centre of the field to have steam shoot up around it. Her points dropped, but it opened up the opportunity to strike Charmeleon again.

"Psycho Cut!"

"Sol!"

"Charrr!"

Charmeleon staggered back as the psychic attack burst through the steam, seemingly collecting some of the melted ice and striking him with extra force. Once again, Brian's points dropped, Serena remaining in the lead.

As the crowd cheered, though, Serena thought she could hear Dawn's voice from where she and the others were watching backstage, urging her to be careful. She supposed it was just a warning to be extra cautious if Brian wanted to make any quick moves, though, and she knew if she kept up her strategy, she would be fine.

Twice more she attacked, first calling for Double Edge, which was slowed by a Swift to keep him back and a Dragon Claw to prevent the full force of the attack. Both trainers lost points, but Serena stayed in the lead. Then, she called for Psycho Cut, which was countered with Swift, before she ordered Detect to avoid that and then used Icy Wind which forced Charmeleon to stumble away. Again, both trainers lost points, but Serena held her lead. Time was running out, now, and she was down to about one fifth of her points, while Brian had a tenth of his.

"Now Absol, use Double Edge!" Serena called out one last time, voice carrying with her confident order.

The crowd seemed to love it, but once again she noticed a strange worried and confused look from Abso, before he charged. She didn't know why, but decided he was just nervous about being able to finish the match. She knew he was strong enough to do it, though, and he carried it out with everything he had as he ran.

Brian suddenly seemed to change his stance, though, smiling as he narrowed his eyes. "Charmeleon, use Smokescreen!"

"Charrr!"

Serena wasn't flustered, though, knowing she could get rid of it, ordering Icy Wind as she'd done before while the smoke billowed out in front of Charmeleon. However, as the icy energy began to blow into it, Brian ordered another attack immediately.

"Swift!"

"Charmeleon!"

Suddenly the golden stars shone brightly in the smoke, looking like stars in the night sky. Serena's points dropped suddenly, and she realized she was closer to Brian now. But Icy wind was shooting forward, with Absol charging behind it, and she had to have faith in her attack working.

However, the stars from Swift struck the Icy Wind head on, and suddenly, Serena realized what Brian's plan was. The stars suddenly became covered in ice, and rapidly descended on Absol. They struck the ground in front of him, and he tried to veer away, only to slip on some ice. He had to stop his charge immediately to avoid being hit completely.

"Sol!" he grunted out, slowly stepping back. Unfortunately, that was all Brian needed.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Charrr!"

Serena winced, knowing her points had already dropped beneath Brian's. As the glowing green claw struck Absol and sent him staggering back, the buzzer sound wasn't a surprise. She saw Absol sag in disappointment, while Fantina declared Brian the winner and his teammates cheered from the crowd, where the Lumiose students politely applauded, but were clearly disappointed.

Absol went back to Serena, looking dejected, but Serena gave him a hug, conveying that it wasn't his fault. "You were great, Absol. I...I should've had a different strategy. You were trying to warn me, but...I guess I just didn't understand." How am I ever going to be able to Mega Evolve with Absol if I can't understand something like that?

She slowly went backstage with Absol, seeing her friends looking sympathetically towards her. Dawn was the first to speak. "You were great, Serena. No need to worry. You were really close to winning!"

Serena sighed, glancing down at her feet. "You tried to warn me, too. I wasn't careful." It was a bit like her first performance with Fennekin. She hadn't considered the walk in the fashion show, and had overdone it with Fennekin's costume. Here, she hadn't considered how valuable every last point was, and had sacrificed them willingly to lower Brian's, who was clever enough to turn it around at the last opportunity.

"You did great, Serena," Shauna said encouragingly. "I don't think I could've battled like that. There's a lot to think about."

"You just need a bit more practice," Dawn added.

"I didn't do well in my first IPL match," Tierno said, looking out onto the stage as Fantina announced the next match would be beginning in a moment. "You had way more rhythm than me."

Serena couldn't help but smile at their encouragement. It did make her feel better. "You guys are the best," she said, before looking to Tierno. "Make sure to get that one back for us."

"You bet!" he said, giving a thumbs up before heading out on stage to battle Coumarine's coordinator, Leeroy.

Serena and Absol watched their match closely, and while it made her aware of some of the mistakes she'd made during her own battle, it was definitely informative. Tierno was showing that he'd improved greatly since he first entered a contest battle, making great use of his dancing style and avoiding many of Leeroy's attacks by dancing in sync with Blastoise and Raichu. It was nearly impossible for Leeroy's Ursaring and Gardevoir to touch them.

It wasn't quite the commanding victory Dawn or Shauna had, but Tierno managed to chip away at Leeroy's points as he avoided many of his attacks and created a few impressive combinations using his dancing to put his Pokemon in positions to land direct hits. Eventually, the buzzer went as Tierno was declared the winner with a perfect Rapid Spin and Thunderbolt combination that sent Gardevoir spilling into Ursaring for a perfect finisher by Raichu.

What was clear to Serena from watching Tierno, was that he'd learned a patience she'd needed in her own battle, and he'd been able to keep his cool by trusting his style and staying in sync with his Pokemon. She knew she was able to do that with her performances, but she needed to bring that into battling. Absol had the instincts, and she just needed to draw them out. It wasn't going to be easy, but she was confident that with a bit more training, they could do it.

The break between the performances and battles had given Korrina the opportunity to head back to the Pokemon Centre to check on Vivillon. She was disappointed as she walked through the doors, thinking of her team's rough outing, but she knew that she and the Battle Team could give Shalour something to cheer about. As she entered, she also noticed a standings update had been posted, showing that the Lumiose vs Coumarine matches had concluded, with Lumiose having earned all but one point for each set of matches. I bet Clemont did well!

When she headed up to the front desk where Nurse Joy was, she asked if Vivillon was doing okay, hoping to give it a chance to fly around before she and her team headed to the battlefield. Nurse Joy quickly went to the back to get it, assuring Korrina that it had been doing quite well. It had definitely seemed to enjoy the outing, having apparently been socializing with the various Pokemon in the centre throughout the day.

Once it was ready, Korrina took it outside, and found an empty area to the side of the Pokemon Centre. Not many people were around with most finding their way to the battlefield to get good seats, but there were some trainers at the battlefield and she made sure to avoid them so Vivillon didn't accidentally get hurt.

When she stopped, she set Vivillon down on the ground, the Scale Pokemon looked up at her, looking excited to start. They were still careful not to have it fly around in places like the Pokemon Centre, with it being a bit more crowded. It seemed close to being able to fly anywhere, though, and as Korrina gave the signal, Vivillon took off and flew high in the air, flapping its wings with much improved strength.

Korrina became so captivated by Vivillon as it began flying around, that she barely even noticed as someone came up behind her. She stopped as she heard the footsteps, and turned around, eyes widening at who was there. "G-Gabby?"

The pink-haired Laverre student smirked at her surprised look, although Korrina got the sense that something seemed to be distracting her. She followed Gabby's gaze and saw that she was looking over to where the Laverre Battle Team was, heading to the battlefield with Valerie, the Laverre Gym Leader, and their other coach, Raphael. The Performer seemed uneasy.

"Doing some last minute training?" Gabby then asked as she looked back to Korrina. "New Pokemon?" she added, glancing up at Vivillon, who was still flying, not having noticed her arrival.

"Uh...no this Vivillon's not mine," Korrina murmured. She felt uneasy herself, not sure if it was the time to tell Gabby what Clemont suspected, but also thinking it was a good opportunity to talk to Gabby without Anton there. She decided to tell part of the truth, first. "I...rescued it. Or at least...I brought it to the Pokemon Centre after I found it by Shalour City."

Gabby had seemed somewhat distracted, but now her gaze suddenly focused on Korrina. "You mean...the hunters had it? You found this Vivillon by one of those bases you discovered?"

Korrina was a little surprised by the anger in Gabby's voice. She obviously expected anyone would be angered by the hunters' actions, but for Gabby she had a sense it was more personal. She supposed it was, given what seemed to have happened to her brother. She finally nodded. "I was out looking with my Lucario, and we found it. I've been helping it get its flying ability back. It was in pretty rough shape."

"That's awful..." Gabby glared at the ground. Korrina understood the anger, but something about that look made it seem as though things were still fresh for her. "My Swablu was found in a similar condition. It's an Altaria now, but...I had to work on its flying back then as well."

Korrina gave her a sympathetic look. She hated the reason why, but she was at least happy to see that Anton's sister wasn't quite as...stubborn as he was. "I'm sorry for what happened to you and Anton back then."

"It wasn't your fault," Gabby told her. "It wasn't your grandfather's, either. Anton's wrong for thinking that." She sighed, and looked up at the Vivillon. "You know...Anton's Vivillon had the same pattern as that. I think it's called the Elegant Pattern." She smiled, watching Vivillon a moment. It glanced down just then, and the two locked eyes.

Korrina apparently didn't even need to tell Gabby. It was clear the other girl knew it right away. And she wasn't the only one.

"VIII!"

Vivillon shot down, faster than Korrina would've liked, but she couldn't blame it. It reached Gabby in an instant and flew into her chest, crying out happily. The Laverre Performer was no different, laughing and crying in joy as she hugged the bug type. A moment later, she let it go, and it flew back a bit, before hovering and looking at her.

"It...it's Anton's!" Gabby said excitedly, looking at Korrina, and then Vivillon. "I used to play with it all the time. I know it is. I know it!"

Korrina smiled, exchanging a look with Vivillon, before looking back to Gabby. "I'd wondered." Gabby looked at her curiously at that, and she explained. "Clemont, Ash and Serena met your dad near Lumiose City. He told them the story about Anton's Vivillon and Fletchinder, and mentioned it having an Elegant pattern. He helped me out with Vivillon during the break and he thought it might be worth looking into."

"I can't believe it!" Gabby said, looking like she was shaking. She appeared to be excited, relieved and almost scared, as though wondering if she was dreaming. "I...I have to tell Anton." She looked at Vivillon. "Do...do you want to see Anton again?"

Korrina realized just how loyal and loving Pokemon could be in that moment, as Vivillon nodded without hesitation. "Villon!"

"We'll come see you after the battles then," Gabby promised. "Nurse Joy will take care of it, right?"

Korrina nodded. "She will."

"Can you wait until then?" Gabby then asked Vivillon, looking to it hopefully.

"Vi!" Vivillon cried out in excitement, nodding. Korrina was glad it wasn't going to try to push it and go to the battlefield.

"I'll let him know he's got an extra fan cheering for him!" Gabby promised, before giving it one last hug, and running off.

Korrina watched her go, and then looked to Vivillon herself, seeing how excited it was. Part of her was worried, though. It was hard to know how Anton would react. Of course, she supposed she might find that out soon.

They had a battle to fight.

Anton yawned, feeling bored as he waited for his battle to come. His teammates weren't faring too well. Dean had won the first match, but had been sloppy throughout, and likely had only pulled out the win against his opponent's Magneton thanks to his Diggersby's effective ground attacks. Sasha appeared to be doing an even worse job, however, looking like she might even lose.

Oddly enough, it didn't bother him as much as it usually would've. They were secure in having earned their position in the playoffs. That wasn't an excuse to get sloppy, but even he had to admit to being bored by their competition at times. He would get the rest of the team to smarten up for their final battles against Lumiose University, though, and then they would be dominant once more.

As Sasha battled, he glanced around to see what his sister was doing, having noticed that Gabby seemed oddly distracted once she'd arrived. She appeared to be glancing over to the Shalour team's seating area and exchanging glances with Korrina for some reason, which Anton expected to find out after the battle. Right now, however, she was glaring at the back of Raphael's head.

Again, he didn't know what that was about, but as he was about to turn his head away, he noticed Valerie whispering something into Gabby's ear, and his sister turning her gaze away quickly after that. What's with her all of a sudden? Anton wondered, watching the battle once more, seeing Sasha's Weavile stumble as it was hit once again by the opposing Grumpig.

As the battle appeared to be winding down, and the Shalour trainer's Grumpig hammered Weavile with a few more attacks, Anton heard a phone ring to his right, seeing Raphael picking it up. This often happened during training and battle sessions, and it got on his nerves. If he's committed to battling, he should leave his business work out of it. Raphael might've known his stuff when it came to certain training practices, but he seemed too busy with his other work, especially lately, to provide much. Anton couldn't help but roll his eyes as Raphael snapped at whoever was on the other end and walked away to speak in private.

He started to turn his attention back to the battlefield, but then suddenly heard Valerie's voice behind him. "No Gabby, not now!" she hissed. "It isn't the time. He may wonder what you're following for."

The others on the team didn't seem aware, too focused on Sasha losing her battle, but Anton turned back, tilting his sunglasses up and staring at his sister suspiciously. Her eyes widened as she looked back at him, Valerie appearing to do the same. That bugged him, and he decided he'd find out what this was about.

"What's going on with you, Gabby? You're acting very strange." He noticed her exchange yet another glance with Valerie, and then look over to Korrina again for some reason. "Tell me," he added with a firm voice.

"I have to," Gabby murmured, looking to Valerie. "He deserves to know." Valerie nodded, giving Anton a sad look, and then Gabby stood, gesturing for Anton to follow her.

The crowd noises provided some cover for them, but they still moved behind the seating area where there was a little more privacy. It seemed Raphael had decided to leave the area completely for his own privacy, so nobody was near them. At least, not until Korrina suddenly appeared, apparently having noticed them slipping away.

"What? You're involved with whatever this is, too?" Anton asked the Shalour Gym Leader, staring accusingly at her. "What have you gotten my sister into?"

"Nothing," Korrina promised. "It's...well it's not all bad. You sure you want to tell him, Gabby? Now?"

Gabby looked nervous. "I actually have more to say than...that," she said after a pause, Korrina looking curiously back at her. "It..it's connected."

Anton sighed, almost tempted to head back to his seat. "This is getting ridiculous. I have no interest in your gossip," he muttered.

He wasn't looking when he felt his sister's hand smack across his face.

"Hey!" he snapped at her, stepping back and putting his hand to his cheek, feeling it sting. "Relax, Gabby. What was that for?"

"Listen," she growled. "I'm about to tell you something extremely important, and..." She stepped forward and poked him in the chest. "I...don't...need...your...attitude." She added an additional poke with each word, and each was harder than the last.

Anton didn't often respond to this kind of outburst from his sister, but he decided she seemed urgent enough that he would listen. He could see that Korrina was looking embarrassed, and part of him did wish she hadn't seen that, but he ignored the thought as he nodded to Gabby. "Fine. Tell me."

Gabby looked relieved that he wasn't going to argue. She took a deep breath then, and finally began. "Did you see Raphael just now? Getting that call and walking away?"

Anton nodded. "Yeah. That's not unusual. Especially lately. He does corporate work outside school. I don't like that it interrupts training, but what do you expect?"

Gabby shook her head, and continued. "Valerie's been keeping tabs on him lately. I saw her heading into the forest earlier, after the performances."

"So that's where you disappeared to," Anton muttered, still not sure what she was going on about. Suddenly Valerie wandering around had something to do with Raphael's business dealings? He was starting to think his sister had gotten too soft after talking to that Serena girl too much in Lumiose City.

"Yeah, that's where I disappeared to!" Gabby snapped at him, looking back to a confused looking Korrina and rolling her eyes. "I wanted to know what the Gym Leader of Laverre, and our coach and teacher was sneaking off for. Apparently she had good reason."

Anton frowned, starting to connect the dots. "She was following Raphael?" He had noticed the coach slipping out during the performances. "What does she think he's up to?"

At that, Korrina gasped, her hands going to her mouth. "You don't mean...?" She stared at Gabby. "He's...?"

Gabby nodded, before looking back to Anton. "We caught him on his call, Anton. You know the stories we've heard lately. Funny how he's been stepping away from training sessions and battles more recently, huh?"

Anton rarely let things get to him. He'd learned a long time ago to restrain himself and not let emotions get in his way. He let frustration fuel his training. This, however, was hard to ignore and put to the side. If what Gabby was saying was what he thought she was saying...

"Do...do you think he's been involved this whole time?" He asked quietly, noticing his voice shaking just a bit. "Since...then?" He avoided looking at his sister now, feeling his fists clench and begin to shake.

"I don't know," Gabby answered, now sounding much less harsh. "What I do know, is it is connected. And...there's a reason why I know." She looked to Korrina, and Anton looked up curiously, wondering what it was the other girl knew. "Korrina found a Pokemon near Shalour City not long after they discovered a hunter base there. She's been nursing it back to health."

Korrina continued from there. "I didn't think there was any connection to anyone I knew," she started, looking uneasy as Anton fixed his gaze on her. "I just knew it was a hurt Pokemon from those hunters and I wanted it to get better. Then Clemont called me today, mentioning that he, Ash and Serena met a bug researcher near Lumiose City named Henry."

"Our...dad?" Anton asked. He took off his sunglasses, and stared at Korrina. "What...does that have to do with this?"

"Well...he told Clemont about your Pokemon," Korrina answered awkwardly. "And he described your Vivillon as having an Elegant pattern. Clemont had helped me in working with the Pokemon I'd found and...well...it's a Vivillon with an Elegant pattern."

Anton felt as though his entire body was going numb. "Th-that...that doesn't...you can't know...there's no..." He hated how jumbled his words were, but he couldn't keep his head straight. He didn't know what to think. He shook his head, feeling it get cloudier by the second with all his confused thoughts. This was a lot to take in.

Gabby stepped close to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Anton," she said quietly, getting his attention. He stared at her, not sure what to say, not wanting to even hope that what Korrina had suggested was true. "Anton...I've seen it. It's Vivillon. It's your Vivillon. Korrina has it at the Pokemon Centre because she's been helping it improve its flying."

Suddenly, he was on his knees, staring at the ground in shock. Everything...everything since that day...it all been because of his...selfishness. He'd cut himself off from so much. He couldn't handle thinking of what he'd done. It was like it was all coming to him now, though. All the guilt. He'd ruined Vivillon's life. And Fletchinder...Fletchinder hadn't been mentioned. Maybe Vivillon was lucky in comparison.

He heard a voice from where they'd exited from their seating area, and he glanced over to see Valerie standing there, watching them in concern. She waited a moment, and then Gabby asked if they were needed. "The...the battle is over," Valerie informed them. "It's time...for Anton and Korrina to battle."

"I think he needs a moment," Gabby said, looking uneasily to Korrina. "You can wait a few minutes, right?"

Korrina nodded. "Of course. I'll let them know. I'll just tell them-"

"Don't bother," Anton suddenly said, starting to get to his feet. He put his sunglasses back on, feeling his body tensing up as he tried to shut his mind to everything he was thinking. "Just...forget it. Forget the battle." He shook his head, feeling his eyes stinging. "I forfeit. Just leave. Go back to Shalour and take your Vivillon."

"It's your-"

"It's not mine," he snapped, turning away. "It's not."

And suddenly he was walking away, ignoring their calls after him. It's not mine. His walking sped up, the voices growing more distant. It's not...mine. Then he was running, the voices nothing but his imagination. He wanted to train. He wanted to be alone with his Pokemon. He didn't want...whatever they were trying to do.

It's not mine.

Author's Note:

So a big chapter for Anton...and Serena too. I know Anton's not the greatest character ever designed, but hopefully this was a good chapter when it comes to him. Seeing some of the damage caused to him by the hunters...but also by himself. I thought this kind of thing would make for an interesting character way back when all this started. Obviously more is to come, but let me know what you think. See you next time...when we may or may not see Serena go to Kiloude City for a little something.