NOTE: Hey guys! Yeah, I was very stoked to witness the kiss between Ash & Serena. Some people are still claiming that it might not even be a kiss, but look at it! It definitely is. :) I was squealing for days. My boyfriend thought I was crazy. LMAOO. Anywho, I did write a short drabble on the kiss if any of you guys are interested or haven't checked it out. It's called Kalos Kiss. :)
Anywho, onto replying to some reviews. :)
Guest: Umm is it me or the Ash in this fanfic doesn't look like Ash at all,He chases after Serena like a Love crazed puppy and not the other way around and Serena seems to much in Alain :3
Hmm... I never intended for Ash to seem like a love sick puppy. I just wanted to show that he did like her. haha. I might have forced it too much, but again, I really wanted to do something different. Most stories are about how Serena gets his attention, and as much as I like those, I just kept thinking, well what if the roles were reversed? Hence, my story. AND Serena isn't into Alain. They are just really close. As I have to point for like the 4574895784935 time.
gabed1298: ...Also will Dawn and May get a more active or bigger role?...
Well, the whole story is to be in Serena's POV, but Dawn and May will be seen quite a lot. In fact, for now, I think they might be seen more than Ash. haha I have thought about making ONE-SHOTS around the story that contain other peoples POV. For example, maybe a short one-shot detailing Ash's feelings during, possibly, a date in the future. *cough* Spoiler Alert. *cough* or just a random thing thats going on in Dawn's life. I'm not sure yet. If you're interested, let me know! :)
Q-A Authoress & FantasyLover88: You both asked about Serena's ruined dress. You'll find out after reading this chapter! :)
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. (PunishedEagle88(Nice to see that you made your way to this story), Guest, Pokemonmeat, skyblu23, MANbearPIG01, aliensinnoh) & Bluejack22 who left a PM. :)
I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Nine: Couramine Showcase
A sense of nostalgia wafted over Serena's senses as she walked through the backdoors of the Couramine City auditorium. She stepped over to the right, and leaned towards the wall as a busy backstage director darted through the hall while barking orders into her headset. She glanced at the open dressing rooms while walking with haste, in search of her own. Most of the rooms were already filled with the many contestants who were readying themselves for the first round.
She was feeling incredibly nervous, but not nervous enough to taint her excitement. She could not wait to set foot in her dressing room, and ready herself like a professional. She especially couldn't wait to prance about on the stage and dazzle the crowd with her skills as a blooming queen. Even if she didn't know what challenges laid ahead of her, the honey blonde could already feel the princess key dangling around her currently empty keychain. She didn't mean to flaunt her overflowing amount of confidence, but she couldn't help it. It was her time to shine, and her years of training were finally going to pay off.
With a bright smile plastered across her face, Serena took a left before noticing a giant maroon colored plaque with her name engraved on it in white. Serena took a step towards the door, examining the plaque. On the corner was an image of the school insignia – a silhouette of Xernea's head. Now any contestant passing by her room would know that she was a student at Kalos Academy. And if you were in the Performer's business, seeing a Kalos Academy plague surely put you on your toes. They were trained by the best in the best way possible after all.
The honey blonde took a deep breath before grabbing onto the golden knob. She jiggled it in her grasp before finally opening the door. As she stepped into the room, her eyes immediately rested upon the individual who was standing next to her vanity table.
"Alain!" She called out loud, surprised.
"Hey," he said with a small grin as the honey blonde dropped her oversized duffel bag onto the loveseat that was located across from the vanity table.
Serena eyed the boy in curiosity before taking a few steps forward until she was right in front of him. "Where have you been?" she asked. "Don't tell me that you've been skipping school!" She glowered at him, before raising her hand up to his forehead. She tucked the fingernail of her index finger behind her thumb, intending to flick his forehead if he were to provide her with the wrong answer. "Dawn's been bombarding me about the surprise we found in the school site for the upcoming election." She raised an eyebrow, referring to why he was running for student body vice president.
"I just want to be close to you. That's all," he answered, causing Serena to lower her arm, so that she could ready herself to flick his forehead.
Before she could even flick him, Alain pulled his hand from out of his jacket pocket, and gripped her wrist. He then pulled it downwards, foiling her plans, and kept his grip tightened on her to prevent her from trying to flick him again.
Serena squirmed for quite sometime, until finally pulling herself away from his grasp. She then crossed her arms, and eyed him in a suspicious manner. "Why did you really sign up?"
Alain shrugged before looking away. "Professor Sycamore forced me to sign up. He really wants me to participate in school activities. Just tell Dawn that she doesn't have to worry about a thing. I don't intend on winning, and if she needs help with eliminating Amelia, then all she has to do is ask."
"Dawn will be relieved," she smiled, feeling relieved herself. "So then why have you been skipping school?"
"I wasn't skipping," he answered as he pressed his lower back against the vanity table, placing his hand back into his pocket. "I was sent to Lumiose City for a few days to talk about my hearing."
"Really?" Serena perked up. "What did they say? Will you be able to keep your spot as Kalos Champion?"
"Not exactly. At the end of the school year I'm scheduled to rebattle The Elite Four and Diantha. Headmaster Redwood is setting up a training regime as we speak." He shrugged. "As for now, my AlainBot will still be taking over for me."
"Really?" Serena smiled widely. "That's great. You better not blow it though!" She warned him with a stern expression before slightly tiptoeing to give him a hug.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and as she did, Alain pulled his hands out of his pockets to embrace her.
"I really hope that you give it your all," she said quietly, truly hoping that he won't mess up the hospitality that the academy was giving him.
"I'll… try my best," he replied.
"Hey, uhm… Am I interrupting something? I can come back later…" A voice sounded from the door.
"Pika…"
Serena pulled herself away from Alain's grasp, and turned around to see Ash with his favorite buddy perched up on his shoulder. As she took her focus away from Alain, she heard a sigh escape from his mouth, but decided to ignore it.
"Hey Ash," she greeted with a welcoming smile before also greeting Pikachu. "Now this is the sight I'm used too."
"Yeah, it's great to be able to bring Pikachu here." He smiled. "It really isn't that big of a deal though. Pikachu's been enjoying all the Pokémon facilities back at school. I almost feel jealous."
Serena giggled. "I was jealous at first too when I first attended the school." She extended her arm out to pet Pikachu.
"Chaa~," It responded in complete bliss.
"So, what are you doing here Ash?" Serena asked as she continued with petting his buddy.
"I'm a guest judge for the showcase," he answered. "I knew you would be here, and I just wanted to wish you luck, but… I think I came at a bad time." His face slightly turned crimson from witnessing the two friends hug.
"It's okay. Alain doesn't mind," she said, and Alain immediately scoffed at her comment. "It's really sweet of you to come here and wish me luck," she continued, ignoring Alain. She pulled her hand away from Pikachu's ear and reached out to Ash's hand. "Thanks," she smiled while loosely holding onto his fingertips. She squeezed a few of the fingers in her grasp, causing Ash's face to completely redden.
"Alright," Alain cleared his throat as he stood up straight from the vanity. "You're a guest judge, right?" He sauntered over to the two, and immediately pulled Serena's hand away from Ash's. He then flung his arm around Ash's shoulder, and rested his hand on his upper arm due to his other shoulder already being occupied. "I've been a guest judge many times. Let me show you the ropes."
"Really?" Ash said. "That's great. I'm actually kinda nervous. I've never been a guest judge before."
As Ash continued with sharing his worries, Alain glanced back at Serena, and nodded his head in shame. Serena knew that she was going to receive that lecture from Alain soon, but that's what he got for being away for a few days. Ash's friendliness was bound to creep onto her, and without Alain there, there was no one to keep him away from her (even if Serena didn't mind it).
Serena simply smiled at her disappointed friend, but immediately averted her attention away from him as Dawn, May, and Miette entered the room.
"A-Alain?!" Dawn questioned as the two boys exited the room. The bluenette then locked her eyes on the honey blonde, and Serena could already tell that she wanted an answer about the election.
"You have nothing to worry about," she said. "If you want more information, you should talk to him."
"No way," The bluenette said as she placed her makeup box on the vanity. "Alain's scary."
Serena giggled. Almost everyone was scared of talking to Alain. She found it amusing, and surprisingly, Alain found it amusing too.
"Yes, well, on the bright side, Serena doesn't have to worry about anyone stealing her boyfriend away from her." Miette commented, while opening up Serena's duffel bag.
The honey blonde groaned as she watched Miette carefully pull out her outfits for the upcoming challenges. "Thanks for helping me out you guys," Serena said, deciding to ignore Miette's comment. "I hope your teachers are okay with skipping todays classes."
"Performing and Coordinating are pretty similar," said May. "If anything, our teachers enforced it. We get to experience a bit of the action, and they are happy with it, just as long as we record, and write down a report on what we've been doing."
"That's why I'm doing your makeup," Dawn said with a wide grin.
"Great, well we have an hour before the showcase begins, so lets organize everything." Serena said while maneuvering herself around the quaint dressing room to close the door.
As she reached the door, she looked outside to see Shauna passing by with Amelia and the rest of her followers. As the small group neared her dressing room, Amelia's laughs grew louder with obnoxiousness.
"Oh, hi Serena," Amelia greeted with contempt. "Good luck." She smirked before continuing her walk down the hall. Her followers giggled, and trailed behind her, but Shauna stayed for a second, and simply gave Serena a nod. Before the honey blonde could say anything, Shauna looked away and continued her walk in the opposite direction.
"I get why Shauna is here, but why is Amelia here?" Dawn asked, disgusted by her presence.
"Whenever one of the students in our program are allowed to perform in the showcases, all the students in the same year have to come to the showcase for support. It's mandatory," Miette answered while inspecting Serena's dress for any wrinkles or out of place embroidery.
"She shouldn't even be allowed in the program. Her personality is the complete opposite of what a Kalos Queen should be," said May.
"Well," Serena closed the door. "I'm sure Palermo has a reason for having her in the program. In the meanwhile, let's just focus on getting me ready before the first event."
The honey blonde patiently waited behind the curtains as Monsieur Pierre welcomed the crowd to the first Showcase of the year. The anticipating teen looked to her right at her Altaria, and stroked one of its many feathers.
"Are you ready Altaria?" she asked while looking up at her fluttering Pokémon.
"Altar!" It squawked with excitement.
Serena smiled before looking straight ahead at the obstacle ahead of her. The task assigned for the physical round was announced to them the second they set foot on stage. The crowd, and judges were going to find out the challenge any second now, and as they waited, their professional rock climber and belayer for the round were getting the contestants into their gear. They were taking extra precautions; making sure that no ones gear was going to fail them on their way to the top.
The only thing that all the contestants were worrying about was how high the climb was going to be. Their current obstacle was still being shielded by another set of curtains. The wall could possibly be as high as the roof, which was a far way up.
"Please face the audience," A backstage worker said as she passed the twenty contestants who were on the stage. The other twenty were currently on standby. It was going to be a shame to have thirty of them eliminated after the completion of the physical round.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Shall we begin with the physical round?" Monsieur Pierre announced as the curtains in front of them slowly started to ascend.
The cheers of the crowd grew louder with anticipation, and all the energy was making Serena's adrenaline rush throughout her system. She slightly closed her eyes as the bright lights of the stage blinded her. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she looked around the auditorium, amazed by the amount of people that were there. Due to all the stage lights, she couldn't see Miette or the rest of her classmates in the crowd, but she could see the panel of judges, and Ash, who looked stunned by the amount of contestants.
Serena slightly giggled at his reaction. The last time he must have witnessed a showcase was when they had three girls go up at once to compete.
The cheers slowly died down as Shauna took her place on the stage next to Monsieur Pierre. She faced the crowd and introduced herself before turning her attention to the mass of girls who were awaiting their challenge. "It should be obvious by now, but, just to make it much clearer, your task for the physical round will be rock climbing." Shauna announced while looking at a few index cards in front of her.
Serena slightly turned her head upon hearing the curtains behind her starting to ascend.
"As you make your way to the top, you will have to collect five flags, and hand each flag to your assisting Pokémon. Once you reach the top, someone will count your flags, making sure you have the right amount. If you don't, you must return to the wall and collect the remainder. If you're cleared, you may sound the buzzer, and the assistant will add your name to the system where your place will appear on the screen. The top five here on the stage will make it into the creativity round with the top five who are currently on standby. Good luck everyone."
Shauna curtsied to the group of girls. Serena then turned around to observe the wall in front of her. It was as she expected. The wall almost reached the top of the roof. If they didn't add the buzzer on a platform at the very top, it could have been much higher.
The honey blonde took a deep breath before looking at all the girls around her. Some were more nervous than others. Thankfully, she wasn't all that nervous. She had to thank May after. She was the one who forced her into going rock climbing with her during the summer.
Serena looked over to her belayer who was giving her a thumbs up. She then looked to her Altaria who was ready to complete the challenge. In a blink of an eye, the buzzer sounded through the auditorium, signifying the start of the race.
The honey blonde jumped up high, grabbing a flag that was closer to the ground. Her Altaria gripped it in its beak as Serena began her climb up the wall.
Alright. Just take it slow. Don't focus on the ones around you. Serena thought to herself while she pulled her weight up the board. She placed her right foot on a jutting stone, making sure that her foot wasn't going to slip as she hoisted herself up. She grabbed another flag on her way up, and tightened her grip on the rock as she handed it to her fluttering Altaria.
Serena continued her way up the wall, grabbing each flag that was on her path. She grabbed another one, and before she knew it, another one.
The sweat began to drip down her forehead, and her breathing shallowed as she continued with climbing the wall. Her pace began to slow down, but the same was happening to all the girls around her. She stopped for a second, looking up to see that she was only a few stones away from reaching her final flag, and the very top.
Motivated by the lack of stones needed to surpass the round, Serena quickened her pace on the wall, and reached for her last and final flag. She grabbed it, and handed it to her Altaria before finally, pulling her entire weight onto the platform on top of the wall. Without taking a moment to pace her breaths, she grabbed the flags from the grip of Altaria's beak, and handed it to one of the ladies at the top.
"Clear," said the woman as she finished counting the flags.
Serena smiled widely as she pressed down on the buzzer, causing the auditorium to resound with a piercing ring. She looked down to the rest of the contestants who immediately began climbing with haste upon hearing the buzzer ring for the first time. The competition intensified, and Serena could see all of them beginning to choke. She felt sad for those who weren't going to make it, but that was the life of a performer. You either make it to the next round, or you don't.
She looked up the giant screen located on the right side of the room that showed the placing of the contestants. In giant bold letters was her name with a giant avatar of her beside the number one.
"One?" Serena questioned. "I placed first?!"
"Congratulations," said the woman. "You will be competing in the next round."
Serena sighed as she exited the stage. She walked down the set of stairs to Dawn, May, and Miette who began congratulating her for passing the communication round. Around them were her Pokémon who were happy to see her advancement into the final round.
She passed the physical and creativity round with ease and now she just passed the communications round which consisted of her trying to get a young boy and his Pokémon together after a fight. She barely passed the round though. She placed third place, which was the final slot that allowed her access into the freestyle performance. It was disappointing to come in third place, but that wasn't going to stop her from working on her communication skills the second she was back at the academy.
"You did great, Serena." Dawn complimented as she handed her a bottle of water.
"Yeah," Miette agreed. "I wouldn't have made it pass the physical round. I've never rock climbed in my life. Palermo should seriously add more to our training regime."
"Well, there's too many possibilities for the physical round," said Serena. "The best we can do is work out our muscles."
"I guess," Miette shrugged as they turned a corner to Serena's dressing room.
Something looked rather off though as they came to a stop in front of the now opened door.
"I thought I closed it," Dawn said as she walked to the door to see Serena's duffel bag lying on the ground. "Oh no…" she whispered as she pushed the door wide open.
"What is it?" May asked as she stood behind Dawn.
Miette and Serena followed, and their eyes widened in shock to see the entirety of the room trashed.
Serena's eyes darted all over the place, unsure of what to be concerned about. All of Dawn's makeup was scattered across the floor. Most of her palettes were broken and all the powder was smeared across the floor with chunks of lipstick and glitter. All of their bags, and belongings were also all over the place, and Serena could make out some of May and Dawn's homework sticking to the smeared lipstick. On the bright side, they were carrying their camera with them to document their experience. So, at least, their camera was safe.
"Serena… Your dress… It's ruined." Dawn pointed out. "May and I were only gone for a second. We just wanted to congratulate you on making it to the last round." These two were watching her from the television screen instead of in the crowd to work on their homework and ready her belongings for the next round.
Serena's eyes wandered to the right side of the room where her dress for the freestyle performance was hanging on a rack. The bottom of her dress was torn to pieces, and all of the ribbons, and rhinestones she sewed onto it in the last few days were torn out of the dress, and scattered around the room. The only thing kept in tack was her bejeweled bustier. "What am I going to do?" she faltered as she walked into the room. She fell to the couch in front of her, biting her lower lip. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help but feel the tears sting the edge of her eyes. "I won't be able to perform in the freestyle round!" Her Pokémon gathered by her side, feeling her sorrow.
Miette hesitated to speak once she unzipped the duffel bag containing a few other dresses. "These… These ones are destroyed too…"
"Who would do something like this?" asked May while getting on her knees to pick up the remnants of makeup.
Dawn shrugged with crossed arms. "Isn't it obvious? It's most likely Amelia."
"I don't know," Miette said. "To be honest, anyone in the program is a suspect. A lot of girls tend to be jealous of those who get to compete. Especially when they are being trained by Palermo."
"Amelia is still number one on my list."
"Serena…" The Kalos Queen swung by the room, looking down at a clipboard. "You'll be performing last... As Kalos Queen, I like to wish those entering the freestyle round…" She looked up from her clipboard to give the girl a smile, but her expression immediately faltered upon looking at the room. "…luck…Wh-What happened?" Shauna blinked several times as her eyes fell upon the bejeweled bustier.
"I-I don't think I can compete," Serena answered, wiping away her tears. She felt like her comeback, as a performer was a complete failure. She didn't want Shauna to witness her feelings of despair either. When they were kids, Shauna was always the one to tell her to stop crying. Now that they were acquaintances, she couldn't let the brunette see that she was still emotionally weak.
The honey blonde stood from the couch, and blotted the warm, salty tears that were clutching to her lashes. "You'll have to get the next runner up to perform. I'm sure they will be happy." Serena used every muscle on her face to muster a smile.
"No," said Shauna. "Performers shouldn't be sabotaging other peoples chances. Those who do will never be rewarded the title as Queen." Shauna looked away in guilt while clenching one of her fists.
Serena eyed the brunette. She had no dress for the freestyle round, and nowadays, performers received points by how well their dress fit with the meaning of their routine. How was she going to find a dress that went perfectly with what she planned? She was going to lose points if it didn't fit.
"You'll be performing last, so you still have time," Shauna said while reaching for the zipper on the back of her dress. "We can make this work. Give me your dress, and we'll alter mine to fit your routine."
Serena stared at herself through the body mirror in amazement. On either side of her stood the trio and all her Pokémon that worked so diligently to put the dress together.
Before, her dress consisted of the bejeweled bodice, sewed onto a skirt that stopped at her knees. The hem of the skirt was adorned with ribbons, and sequins. Her performance was going to be all about how her life has shifted into something she was absolutely happy about. All of the sequins, and jewels, and ribbons were to represent how much it felt like to have everything.
Now, her dress consisted of the bejeweled bodice, sewed onto a plain pink skirt that stopped at her feet. Miette added a slit on the side to help with her movements on stage. It was much more plain now, but Serena felt that it represented her life much better. Like, her life was great, but with an empty slate, there was so much more unknown adventures awaiting her.
She had to thank Shauna for all of it. Shauna handed her dress to Serena, and began barking orders to the other girls. She apologized for being so bossy, and immediately had to leave before the start of the first performance. She wished Serena luck, and hurried out of the room, wearing the plain white dress every Performer had to wear for the communication round. The honey blonde didn't have the chance to thank her, but she was sure to do it the second they got back to the academy.
"Miss Yvonne, we need you on the stage in five," The manager behind the stage said out loud as she passed by her room.
"I'll be there!" Serena yelled out.
Miette grabbed a water bottle from her bag, and looked at the honey blonde. "C'mon, I'll take you there."
Serena nodded before looking at the two Coordinators.
"We're going to stay here," said Dawn. "I'm sure there's some clue underneath all of this mess."
"Plus," May added. "If someone tries to come back, we'll be here to shoo them away."
"Thanks, you guys." Serena smiled as she headed to the door.
"Good luck! We'll be watching you on the screen!"
"Thanks," she smiled before looking down at her Sylveon and Pancham. "C'mon you two. We have a performance to give!" She then looked up at her Delphox and Altaria, and gave them each a smile. "Wish us luck!"
Her Sylveon and Pancham rushed to her side as the remainder of her Pokémon offered their words of encouragement.
Serena walked alongside Miette as they made a few turns pass the dozen of dressing rooms. As they neared the stage, one of the workers placed the palm of their hand against Serena's back, and began guiding her up the plight of stairs. She could hear Monsieur Pierre's voice echo through the auditorium as he began with her introduction.
When he finished, the worker urged Serena to enter the stage, and as she did, she took her place with her Pokémon around her.
"And the winner of this year's Couramine Showcase is…" Monsieur Pierre took his time to open up the envelope that contained the winner.
Serena stood in between the two performers who also made it to the last round. They just finished with the crowd vote, and it was very close. She came in second with the crowd's approval, but only lost by a mere two people. She still had a chance at winning the entire thing, but so did the other girls. With the outcome of all the rounds put together, their points were fairly close to one another.
"…Performer, Serena Yvonne!" Monsieur Pierre announced, causing the crowd to roar wildly.
Serena stood there for a second; unsure as to how she should be reacting. She could not believe that she won the very first Showcase of the year. Heck, she couldn't believe she won the first one she's participated in after so many years. She was so sure that she was going to lose the first few because of her lack of experience. She guessed wrong.
She shook her head as her Pancham jumped into her arms. She gave it a hug as her Sylveon wrapped its ribbons around her wrists.
"Congratulations, Serena." Monsieur Pierre sauntered over to her with his Klefki by his side. He grabbed the key from his Pokémon before handing it to Serena. "I'll be looking forward to your future performances, Mademoiselle."
"Thank you so much," she said as the curtains began to descend around the stage.
Serena held the key out in front of her. As usual it was golden, but the handle of it contained a heart shaped amethyst. It was simple compared to most, but this key marked the beginning of her journey to becoming Queen.
"Serena!"
Serena looked to her right to see Dawn, May, and Miette running her way. Ahead of them were her Delphox and Altaria. Pancham leaped from her arms before Serena stretched her arms out widely to embrace the remainder of her team.
"We found a clue," May said.
Serena looked at them with disbelief. With her win, she really wanted to let the whole thing go, but if she didn't, the suspect was probably going to try and ruin her chances again at the next Showcase. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's a button from our school blazer," Dawn said, extending her arm out while letting her fingers uncurl to reveal the golden button on her hand.
Engraved on the center of the button was the school insignia – a silhouette of Xernea's head. It definitely was from the academy.
"It's none of us," Dawn continued. "All of our buttons are intact."
"It has to be Amelia," May said. "But as of now, everyone in the 3rd year Performer's program is a suspect. After all, they all came wearing their uniforms."
Next Chapter Summary: Friendship
"Vote for Gary & Amelia! Free pizza everyday! No homework! And more field trips!"
XXXXXXXXX
"What is going on here?" Palermo demanded an answer from those who were wasting her time.
"Amelia is the one who ruined Serena's dress!" May yelled out in front of everyone, holding the button out in front of her.
"Me?" Amelia sneered. "You don't have any proof! A button is nothing! Look at my blazer. I'm missing none!"
NOTE: Definitely a longer chapter than the last two. Those two I didn't plan as well. Sorry :(. Everything else is not planned the way it should be though (even if their will be some minor changes in the future) SO, future chapters should be longer.
I hope you guys all liked the chapter.
Leave a like, favorite, review, or PM. :) Whatever to show your support~