Note: Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! :) Q-A Authoress, aliensinnoh, RavenRusher11, Guest, FantasyLover88, skyblu23, Bluejack222
Chapter Five: President
"Alright, Delphox!" Serena called out to her fox like Pokemon. "Use Mystical Fire!"
Delphox nodded at the training performer before twirling towards the center of the stage. The bipedal fox raised its stick above its head, and began twirling it within its grip. In a mere second, the stick began to burn an orange red. Delphox then looked up, and opened its mouth to release a stream of fire that slowly turned into a fiery tornado.
Serena twirled around her Delphox, practicing one of the many routines she's created since she started attending the Academy. "Alright Altaria, you know what to do!" She called out, eying her dragon/flying Pokemon.
"Altaria!" Altaria flew to the center of the tornado, releasing a fog of water droplets from its mouth.
The contact of the two elements caused the tornado to calm, and shift into a fiery fountain. The area around Serena began to sparkle with specks of orange and red. Serena smiled to herself before grabbing onto the baton that Altaria threw towards her. Delphox then stopped as the room filled with enough glittering specks. It then joined Serena, and danced along with her. The two flipped their batons in sync, and occasionally exchanged them throughout the routine. Altaria flew above them, flying along to the routine, until finally, the song ended, and they ended off with their pose.
Serena breathed heavily as soon as the music came to a stop. She glanced over at her Delphox, and smiled at it before narrowing her eyes downwards at Palermo, who was watching her routine from below the stage. Usually, the other girls that were under Palermo's guidance would be in the same room. They usually all performed one by one, and learned from one another while listening to Palermo's criticism. But, now that Serena was allowed to participate in this years Showcases, she had to practice in a separate auditorium.
"You're slightly off sync with your Altaria, and you still need to work on keeping your legs, and arms perfectly straight when perfecting your twirls." Palermo said without any hesitation. "Come to me when you have fixed your mistakes." Palermo grabbed onto her belongings and headed towards the exit. "Maybe then, we can work on a new routine for your first Showcase." She then left the auditorium, most likely to return to the rest of her trainees.
Palermo was always so blunt when it came to nitpicking Serena or any other performer's routines. When Serena first trained under Palermo, she cried half of the time because she could never please the woman. The worst thing was, she would criticize you, and never tell you as to how to actually improve. She always left you to figure it out on your own. But that was just her way of making you stronger. The world of performing was filled with snobs, gossipers, and nosy reporters. You had to be strong if you wanted to be successful in the business.
Other performers who didn't have guidance from Palermo were always envious of those who did. Whenever she came to a few school Showcases, every girl was dying to know what she thought. Palermo would say nothing though. Even her expression remained stoic. Once you were even given the chance to train under her, the only goal was to receive criticism or even better, a compliment. At that point, you knew that you had a chance of winning the crown.
Serena fell to the ground in exhaustion, and her Delphox sat next to her while her Altaria hovered above her. "Good job you two. We'll take a short rest, then resume with practicing." She smiled, and her Pokemon simply nodded.
The world of performing changed a lot over the past few years. Just when Serena started thinking that she got the hang of it, they altered something about the requirements, or the choice of the events. It put her two steps backwards, but it never stopped her from trying.
Back then, it was just competing with a couple contestants with baking pokepuffs, or attracting Rhyhorns (or something else). Whoever won that was moved onto the next round for the freestyle performance, and then the crowd voted with their wands. Oh, it was so simple back then. Now, they started off with the physical round, usually an event that tested their athletic skills. The top ten were then moved on to the creativity round. They were given a task that, of course, revolved around creativity, and it was usually also paired off with a test for beauty and uniqueness. The top ten were tasked with something like decorating their pokemon or accessorizing a dress. The top five were then moved to the next round where their communication skills were tested. Whether it be befriending a stubborn pokemon or answering a question, or even something else entirely. After that, the top three were finally sent into the freestyle performance round (with a given theme), and then they were judged in all categories containing a panel of four judges, plus the crowd.
Becoming Kalos Queen became a goal amongst many young girls. They had no choice but to make it much more difficult for anyone to obtain the crown.
Serena walked to the edge of the stage, and sat with her legs crossed. She reached for her bag, and grabbed for her bottle to replenish her dry throat. She then pushed down on the mouthpiece, securing it back in place to prevent any of the liquid from leaking out. A loud exhale escaped her mouth as she laid back on the stage. Replenishing her thirst gave her the energy she needed to practice her routine once more. It didn't matter that her energy was refilled though. She had to make sure that her Delphox and Altaria were ready to go at it again. After all, they were just important to the routine as she was.
Serena pulled herself back up, straightening her legs out in the process. She looked to her shoes before reaching over to her laces to secure them. Suddenly, the empty auditorium resounded with the sounds of a xylophone - the familiar upbeat tune that was used before any important announcement.
"Good morning my fellow Xearneans!" Headmaster Redwood addressed his students with his grumbly voice. "I have a very important announcement to make, and I hope that you are all listening."
Serena raised an eyebrow as she stood up from the stage. It wasn't like Headmaster Redwood to make any important announcements this early in the year. Everything was supposed to be addressed during the assembly, and the next important speech to ever be addressed was for the Halloween event, and even then, that was still a trivial matter.
"As you all know," he continued. "The presidential elections usually take place in the spring, and the current council take charge for the remainder of the year, and half of the next one. Listening to a suggestion by one of our new, male students, it has come to my attention that our current council is all female. Because it is the first year males have entered the school, I have decided to change the election for this year. Instead of holding it in the spring, the elections will take place after Halloween, with submitting your papers to run for president starting next week. Not only will the current president have to rerun, the current members of the council will also have to reprove that they are good enough to stay on the council. Because of our new coed school, I hope that our next council will be a mix of both genders! If you have any more questions, please visit me at my office! If not, then I encourage you all to support your future candidates! Thank you!"
The honey blonde's jaw dropped, and her left eye slightly began to twitch. This couldn't be happening to her. Headmaster Redwood was just going to change the rules like that? She was just told that she was allowed to take part in the Showcases this year. She needed to focus on that, especially since she hasn't participated in one in years. On top of that, she had to deal with Shauna, who was hanging out with the girl that despised her most in the program. Then there was Gary... It was all too much. She couldn't do all of that while running for president, again. She had a pretty hard time winning in the last one.
Serena exhaled loudly before grabbing onto her belongings. "I'll be back! You two just keep resting!" She hollered at her Pokemon as she exited the auditorium.
"Serena!" The honey blonde could hear the voice of Dawn who was scurrying up a flight of stairs with a look of distress. Behind her, trying to catch up was May, who also shared the same expression. Dawn was the vice president, while May was the treasurer. Seeing them scurry over to the main office was no surprise to her.
"We're going to have to rerun for all of our roles?" Dawn asked, out of breath. "The last election was pretty intense! I don't think I can handle it this early in the year."
"Me too," May said as Serena pushed on the heavy steel doors.
"May, you're the best at handling money," Dawn pointed out, irritated. "I don't think you're going to lose your slot."
"You don't know that. We don't know any of the guys here. One of them may be able to take the spot away from me."
The anxious performer took a turn while listening to her two friends continued with their conversation about the outcome and who would even want to be apart of the council. It's barely been a week since school started. For all they knew, it was just some random nerd who had a huge concern for gender equality. Before the start of the year, Serena's thought about a few possible situations that could happen once the guys entered the school. She thought about the guys feeling like maybe they needed more male clubs or even more space just for them to hangout. But it never occurred to her that one of them would want to break the student council apart so quickly. They'd only have to deal with a semester under the girl's commands. That wouldn't be so bad. Besides, the boys still had to adjust to the school, who would even have the time to run for president?
Serena took another turn, and looked up to see the giant mahogany doors that led to Headmaster Redwood's office. She blinked then looked to the side, noticing the all too familiar spiky brunette colored hair. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and a smirk plastered across his face was the boy that Serena should have thought of right away when the Headmaster made the announcement.
"Gary...?" Serena questioned before stomping over to him. "I should've known it was you." The abrupt accusation caused her two friends to end their conversation. They followed behind Serena as she stopped in front of the aspiring professor.
"You mean, I didn't pop into your head after that announcement?" He feigned a look of disappointment.
"Why would you want to run for president?" May asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Dawn rolled her eyes. "It's his narcissism that got him here. He needs to establish his ego to the rest of the school. What better way than running for president?" She finished with gritted teeth.
"I wouldn't have done this if Serena just agreed to go out with me."
"So, you're doing this because I rejected you?" Serena asked. She wasn't sure if she should feel impressed by the fact that this boy was willing to go to the extremes just for a mere date.
"Yeah," He answered as if it was nothing to be embarrassed about. "I sense that you like a boy who takes charge. A man who's in power! I'll do whatever it takes to win your heart, Serena." He winked before grazing the tip of her chin with his index finger.
His action sent chills up Serena's spine. Even when he pulled away right after, Serena swatted his hand like it was a pesky, buzzing fly. She then whipped her head, glaring at Dawn. This would have never happened if Dawn just bet something else. They could have traded Pokemon for all she cared.
Dawn gulped, taken aback by Serena's piercing glares. "Serena also likes a guy who doesn't act like some crazy stalker."
"But, it's obvious that Serena likes a guy who cares, and doesn't give up." He pointed out.
Serena had to admit that was true, but the way that Gary was expressing it just made her want to run away from him all the time. His actions may seem sweet, but they were literally moves that would make any girl run away in a minute, rather than bringing them close.
"Yes, but you're acting like a complete stalker!" Dawn countered.
Gary stood up straight, his smug expression still taking over his face. "Are you jealous, Dawn?" He winked, causing the bluenette to become flustered.
"As if!" She spat on his face, causing Gary to back away with a repulsive look.
"Ahh, this must be the commotion I was hearing!" Headmaster Redwood seemed to have exited his office without any notice. He hovered above the foursome, greeting them all with a kind smile.
His tallness, and broad figure made it seem like he was a wrestler or bodybuilder back in the day. But he was actually a man who was a part of the chess team and science club. Over the years, Serena had to constantly hear him reminisce about the past, and tell the students of how terrible he was at sports.
He had messy gray hair, and a long disheveled beard, and behind his gold-rimmed glasses were his warm, welcoming eyes. They always seemed to be smiling even when he was angry. Even then, Serena's never even seen the man get angry. The year before, they had a food fight when a rival school came to visit. Instead of getting mad, he encouraged it, saying that it was good way to bring the two schools together (even when it didn't). Still, there was just something about his presence that made no one able to fully disobey him. It could be the way he handled certain situations, but Serena couldn't really put a finger on it. She wasn't a troublemaker anyways, so it never bothered her much.
"I assume the three of you are here because of the announcement?" He stroked his beard.
"Well... yeah..." May answered. "It's kind of sudden, don't you think?"
"I assure you that everything will be fine. After all, if the three of you keep your slots, wouldn't that just show that you girls are the best at your respective roles? Even with boys in the school?"
Serena bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to think. Even if she was the best at being president, she had to go through the whole campaigning process again. She definitely wasn't looking forward to that at all.
"But I'm gonna win," Gary said with the utmost confidence.
"Ahh, Mr. Oak." Headmaster Redwood turned his body to face the young boy. "You are not aware of what Serena here is capable of."
"Well, she doesn't know what I'm capable of either."
"That makes things interesting now, doesn't it?" Headmaster Redwood finished off before walking away from the foursome.
"But!" Dawn tried to protest, but he didn't stop. He just continued on with his walk down the hall.
"Well, Serena..." Gary said. "I must get to class now. I'll be looking forward to defeating you in the upcoming elections." He winked before taking his own leave.
After class, Serena rejoined Dawn and May in the council room to start on Palermo's request – to plan the Performer's Grand Opening Ball. Usually, the room was pretty quiet, and everyone would resume with their duties. It was completely opposite today because of the announcement that took place earlier that morning. Everyone was talking with one another, sharing their worries with one another while coming up with plans to keep their spot.
The council remained pretty much unchanged over the last couple years. Everyone loved their spot on the council, and wouldn't give it up for anything. Everyone in the school seemed to like the placements too. They were like a well-oiled machine. They always reached fair compromises when there was a disagreement. When it came to event planning, everything always ran smoothly, and the clean up was pretty quick too. It was a shame that it was all going to change in the next couple months.
Serena looked up at the clock, noticing that they were supposed to start the meeting half an hour ago. Shauna wasn't there though, and Palermo wanted the two of them to work together to plan the ball. Serena shook her head in disappointment; she guessed she had to start off the planning without her. Shauna was the current Kalos Queen, and she didn't seem to doing a good job of doing it if she was just going to skip the important meeting.
"Alright everyone!" Serena announced, "Since Shauna isn't here, I guess we're going to have to start planning the ball ourselves, and tell her about our suggestions some other time."
Everyone slowly came to a hush as they refocused their attention to the honey blonde who stood at the front of the class.
"We can all resume talking about the re-elections after we plan all of this. After all, this is what we're best at." She tried to encourage those who felt like they were going to be dropped from the council.
"You don't have to do that," Shauna suddenly sauntered into the room as Serena began to write on the whiteboard.
"You're late." Serena blinked, placing the marker on the teacher's podium.
"Because I was planning everything." Shauna said, pulling out a thick booklet of sheets that were stapled to one another.
"What is this?" Serena asked, taking the booklet from Shauna's grasp. She began to flip through it, her eyes resting upon a few minor details like choice of table clothes or choice of music.
"I already have everything planned," she said. "I got help from Amelia. You don't have to do a thing. We'll take care of it."
"What?" Serena blinked in surprise, and once again the room began to fill with quiet whispers. "Palermo asked you to work with the council."
"Yeah, but I heard the announcement. I'm sure you guys have other things to worry about..." Shauna turned her head to look at the anxious council members.
Serena wasn't sure if she should be feeling grateful or angered by Shauna's lack of cooperation. As the current Queen, she could have been doing it show sympathy. On the other hand, she could have been doing it to just get away from Serena. Her motives seemed unclear.
"Amelia and I will take care of all of it. Palermo doesn't have to know a thing." Shauna said, grabbing the booklet from the honey blonde. "I'll see you later." She finished off before leaving the room.
As the door opened, Serena saw Amelia standing outside the door. She thought that she could have taken this time to befriend Shauna again. She was wrong.
So, the next chapter will be, of course, the ball. I hope you guys look forward to that.
Also, this is an amourshipping story, however it won't develop that quickly. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. I'm starting to come up with the other possible pairings in the story too, but that will be a surprise whenever that happens. Don't want to give away too many spoilers.
Also, I was just wondering what is your favorite pair other than AshxSerena? Leave a review or PM me. Thanks!