Hi everyone! I finally got the motivation to put Ch. 21 up and I think it's good, despite being rather uneventful. Anyways, school is REALLY starting to pick up so I'm going to update on a weekly basis from now on. Sorry! Anyways, Y is amazing! I just saw the first two episodes of X and Y anime and I get a feeling that it might be slightly more mature, but I don't know yet. Anyways, The House of Hades came out on the 8th and if you read my bio then you know that I'm a fan of all of Riordan's stuff, so I'm really into Percabeth fan fics, and I've been really distracted cause there are lots of good fics, from heartwarming to rip my heart out and stab it with a shiny dagger while laughing at my pain. Anyways, I'm just making excuses for not writing and updating to much.

Thanks for reading,

Court

Chapter 21

Style and Grace

The young lab assistant was making his rounds while Professor Sycamore was meeting Serena and Shauna outside. Today was the day that Serena was to meet Ash, Dawn and May. November 12th. His Umbreon walked over and nuzzled up to his leg.

"Hey there bud, want some food? It's almost dinner time." The eevelution smiled, closing it's eyes as its mouth opened in a massive grin.

"Breon! Um!" Gary smiled at his pokémon. He walked over to the cupboard where they kept the pokémon food, pulling out the canister of food. He poured a bowl as his phone rang. Setting the bowl down for the darkness pokémon, he answered.

"Gary Oak speaking." The speakers in the phone crackled as a familiar voice spoke.

"Hey Gary. I need to transfer Meoletta over." Ash Ketchum's voice was extremely loud. Gary pulled the phone away from his face, wincing in pain.

"It's on speaker phone." Gary mumbled barely loud enough to register, but Ash heard.

"For someone who can operate the most complex machines in pokémon laboratories around the regions, you're surprisingly horrible with that phone."

Gary could hear the grin that was probably plastered on his friend's face in his voice. He groaned. Ash was right. I still don't understand it though... Oh well. He fiddled with the Pokéball transporter, readying it for receiving the Unova Legendary's Pokéball.

"Alright, send it." There was a sucking noise from the other end of the phone. A second later the Pokéball appeared, popping out of the aluminum tube.

"Alright, got it. And Ash?" Gary paused before he left the room.

"Yeah?"

"You made a good choice."

Professor Sycamore sighed at the antics of the two girls who were fawning over the letter and 'how cute Ash was'. Girls... Not used to it yet, even though Shauna has been helping out at the lab and she does this over Gary every day when she thinks that no one is looking. He heard a Pokéball open behind him. Gary had released Meoletta. The professor turned around, looking at the Unova pokémon. He froze.

"I-is that? M-Meoletta?" The pirouette pokémon glided over to him and stopped in front of his face, smiling. Gary laughed at his surprise.

"Yeah. Ash helped save her from Team Rocket before he beat the Unova League. She and him got really close, so she decided to come with him and over the years, they became almost as close as Ash and Pikachu."

Gary explained as the small psychic pokémon began to explore the area around the lab. She noticed the two girls who were still staring at the letter as though it was made of gold. She swooped over to them and at first wasn't noticed because of their attention on the piece of paper that came in the letter.

"So, what will pick me up?" Serena suddenly spoke up and glanced at the man in the lab coat in front of her. Instead of the indigo haired professor, she found herself staring into the eyes of a floating, lady-like pokémon. She jumped with surprise as the pokémon smiled at her.

"Mel-Mel!"

Shauna looked up at the new arrival and squealed with delight.

"It's so cute!"

Serena shook her head, her fashion sense kicking in.

"No, it's more the cute. It's beautiful! The way it elegantly moves and the matching dress to go with it's long hair!"

She addressed the smiling pokémon.

"You're a lady, right?"

Meoletta nodded and smiled again. Gary's voice intruded on the moment of awe that Serena was experiencing with the Unova Legendary.

"Ah, I see she found you! Serena, Shauna, meet Meoletta. Meoletta is from the Unova Region where she met Ash, Iris, Dawn, and Cilan who saved her from the clutches of Team Rocket, stopping their attempt to take over the Unova Region. Since then, those two have been as thick as thieves. She's your ride."

Serena started as she looked at the tiny pokémon

"Will she carry me?"

Gary laughed, causing the dirty blonde to blush with embarrassment.

"She doesn't need to carry you. You two will be teleporting. Meoletta, you might need to get going, Ash and the others will be waiting."

The pirouette pokémon nodded with glee. Serena paled as she understood. She shook her head, as Meoletta sat on her shoulder. Meoletta began to glow, preparing to go back to her friend.

"Hold up, is it safe?! How much ha-"

A flash of light lit up the clearing, leaving the group short a person. Gary looked at his hand which still had a Pokéball in it. Meoletta's Pokéball. He slapped himself with his free hand.

"Ugh! Dumbass!"

The Masters of the Court sat around the room they had rented in Snowpoint City, listening to the blustering wind the blizzard had brought with it as it dumped snow on the northernmost city in Sinnoh.

"Bullshit!" The slightly buzzed brunette yelled as her best friend laid down two cards. The blunette rose an eyebrow, questioning the decision.

"You sure you want to do that?" She laughed, flipping the cards over. They showed the two black jacks. May swore, grabbing the pile of cards and straightening them, putting them in her pile of cards. The group played BS for awhile, laughing at each other's antics. After a particularly long hand, in which May caught Ash trying to pass off a two as an ace, leaving him half the deck, Ash threw the deck up in the air, drawing laughs from the fellow champions. Dawn was laughing at May's victory dance while Ash grumbled something about the cards.

There was a clicking at the door as Drew unlocked the door with a key card the front desk had supplied. He opened the door, stomping his feet to get the snow off of them. Before he closed the door, May's Glaceon bounded in and jumped over to her friend. May took her in her lap and started petting her. Once he had pulled off his snow clothes, Drew poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot that was already made and walked over to the group. May scooted over to let him sit next to her. He sat and put an arm around her, kissing her briefly on the lips. Before he could pull away, she grabbed him, stopping him from taking his lips back. He took this challenge and kissed her back fiercely. She let out a small moan as he bit her lip lightly. Dawn and Ash rolled their eyes and looked at each other. Dawn asked the question they were both thinking.

"We aren't like that, are we?"

Drew and May broke apart, blushing slightly.

"We aren't trying to hide it, so we are more open about PDA." Drew spoke. May nodded.

"Well, we are still waiting for Serena, the ambassador from Kalos. We-" Ash gestured at May and Dawn. "-are meeting her tonight, and it might not be the most professional thing for her to come in and see. So, tone it down a bit, alright?"

Ash looked funnily at Drew as though he just realized he was here.

"And why are you here? Did you get a ticket already?"

Drew pulled out a purple coordinator's ticket.

"First one awarded. I got a hint about where the first contest was being held from...someone...and I won the contest and earned it, so I've been May's bodyguard for the past three weeks. Well, only for the sake of having an excuse. She can handle herself, in more ways than one." Drew grinned evilly.

Dawn's mouth fell open and Ash's eyes widened. May went beet red, opening her mouth to yell at her boyfriend. Before she could begin her rant, a bright light lit up the room, blinding the group.

"Mel, Mel!" The tiny Unova pokémon cried out with joy as she saw her best friends. She flew over and hugged Ash before hugging Dawn with almost as much enthusiasm. The group laughed, including May, who forgot about the implication Drew had made, which, she grudgingly admitted was true. Not that it was bad but it was embarrassing to have it brought up like that.

Snapping out of her trance, May noticed a new person in the room. She had dirty blonde hair, grey eyes and was wearing a rust colored skirt with a stylish black top. May took in the outfit of the newcomer with a stunned awe. This is amazing! I've never seen an outfit that complimented someone so well before. She exchanged brief looks with Dawn, who was equally stunned at the new girl's outfit that fit her everything so well. She noticed that even Drew was gawking at her. She made a mental note. Remember to yell at him. The only one who hadn't been affected by the stunning style the mysterious girl had was Ash who merely smiled at her as though he was expecting her.

"You might want some warmer clothes before you go outside."

He gestured out the window at the snow that was falling. The girl gasped in delight and ran over to the window, pressing her face against the glass.

"Wow... Actual snow."

Her voice was exactly what May was expecting. It fit her even better than her outfit.

"I suppose that introductions are in order."

(Serena's Point of View)

"-ductions are in order."

The handsome raven haired boy was the only one who wasn't gaping at me. I was used to stunning a room when I walked in because of my fashion sense. The fact that this handsome stranger wasn't affected made me a little frustrated and unhappy. He clapped his hands, startling the rest of the people out of their amazement. (If I do say so myself.) The girls with midnight blue hair walked up to the boy who had resisted my style and beauty. (Once again, if I do say so myself.) She stood closer than a normal friend would, so I assumed that they were very close but I wasn't sure if they were dating. However, the other two were obviously in a relationship. The guy with green hair had his arm around the brunette, holding her close while she smiled at me, welcoming me. I smiled back at her as the first boy spoke up.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, one of the masters of the Court." I nodded. I'd seen his interview with Dawn Berlitz about the Court on TV. Speaking of Dawn Berlitz... The famous coordinator and trainer from the Sinnoh region stood next to him, smiling at me.

"Hi! I'm Dawn Berlitz! You're Serena Yvonne, right?"

I smiled at her, appreciating the genuine kindness that she exuded. Ash exuded a confidence that would have made a normal type stand up to a ghost or a dragon type stand up to a fairy type. It was invigorating. However, I couldn't put a finger on the other two. The brunette spoke.

"I'm May Maple! It's great to meet you!"

She ran over and hugged me, showing as much kindness as Dawn had. I hugged her back. This is going to be awesome! She pulled back and laid her hands on my shoulders, holding me at arms length. She looked me up and down, examining my clothes. Before she could speak again, the green haired boy laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Drew LaRousse. I'm not a judge, but I already got a ticket, so I'm hanging with this crew since this one is my girlfriend."

He flashed a purple ticket before patting May on the shoulder. Ash whispered something into Dawn's ear and she giggled looking at the couple who stood in front of me. I looked at them, a questioning look on my face. Dawn noticed. Later. She mouthed at me. Ash walked over to the minibar in the room and poured a shot. He turned around, toasting us.

"To the Court!"

He slammed the drink, setting the glass on the table once it was empty. He looked at Drew.

"Let's give the ladies a chance to get acquainted." He picked up a room key. Drew nodded.

"You can find us." They left, closing the door behind them.

May and Dawn looked at me and sat me down.

"So, tell us everything about yourself. Mainly how the hell you are so fashionable."

I smiled at them. Exactly what I thought would happen. I smiled mischievously.

"If you answer my questions first."

They exchanged confused looks and shrugged.

"Sure. Ask away."

"Relationship status of you four?"

Dawn and May exchanged looks again, this time more worried. May spoke up.

"Drew and I are dating. Since last month."

Dawn smiled at her friend's happiness. Then she spoke.

"Ash and I have had feelings for each other since we traveled together 6 years ago but we only got into a relationship five months ago, just before the first Court."

I deflated slightly. So they were both taken. Oh well. I'll look at the rest of the judges when we meet. I smiled a genuine smile at my new friends.

"That's great for you guys! You two are lucky, those two are really handsome."

They let out a barely noticeable sigh, smiling even broader if that was even possible. Dawn came over and sat next to me, as if she was sensing my discomfort. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What about you?"

I froze. Not that. Anything but that. I shook my head.

"It... It still hurts."

A tear ran down my cheek. May got up and went into the kitchen after Dawn looked at her. Dawn pulled me close.

"Serena, if you don't want to tell us, it's alright. But we will always be here for you, even though we just met. Okay?"

She hugged me tighter as more tears ran down my cheek, spilling off my face as I hung my head. A blurry hand floated in front of my face, holding an equally blurry cup.

"Here. Drink this. It's warm."

May spoke softly as she handed me the steaming mug of coffee. I smiled up gratefully at her. I took it and sipped the delightfully bitter liquid.

"Are you sure that you're alright? Sometimes it helps to get it off of your chest, figuratively speaking of course." May sat on my other side, placing a hand on my knee.

"M-maybe later... It's still just too raw to talk about it."

They nodded and we sat for awhile while I calmed down. They got up and hauled me to my feet. I cursed as I was pulled up.

"Come on! Let's go and see Snowpoint! Ash and Drew are probably off training with each other so they won't miss us!"

Dawn was pulling her coat on. I laughed nervously.

"I might need some warmer clothes."

My two new friends looked at me as though they had just realized my predicament.

"There's a store in the lobby." Dawn suggested.

"Oooohhhh, Wuereman's? That place is nice." May spoke with an excited air. They looked at me an eyebrow from each of them raised. I got the meaning.

"Let's go, but I don't have any money."

They laughed, confusing me.

"You have your ID, right? That's your money."

I pulled out the silver card, gazing at it almost reverently.

"Wow..."

I suddenly squealed.

"Shopping!"

I ran out the door leaving the others in my dust. May looked at Dawn.

"I think she's better."