And now for a different perspective. I hope you enjoy this middle part!
The Road to Peace
It all started with a simple dinner at the Ketchum's Aquacorde Town residence.
Well, simple wasn't necessarily the way that Serena Ketchum would choose to describe that initial dinner; not when your dinner guest was none other than the still sitting Kalos Champion, Diantha. Then again, Serena thought to herself, setting the pot of food down on the table that evening while Ash finished his setting of the table, having people that most would consider celebrities to their home was really par for the course. Especially Diantha.
"For all we talk these days, all of our meetings have typically been at the Hub," Diantha chuckled out while she sat at the dinner table patiently. The Ketchum couple finished all of their dinner preparations, and with Serena unhooking her apron, they moved to join the Champion at the table. "I don't think I've ever seen the inside of any of your homes…"
"Well, now you have!" Ash stated with a grin as he pulled a seat out for Serena, and then he sat down, himself. She giggled a little bit at his expected enthusiasm regarding it, and mused briefly on the fact that Diantha had mentioned their "homes". It was no secret that the two of them either owned or rented houses in a few regions, though their major residences were in Aquacorde and back in Kanto. Either way, Serena reached forward and began serving everyone at the table, while Pikachu and Sandshrew were playing in the living room. "So, what's this all about?"
"Mm, just a piece of business, I guess," Diantha stated, and for a moment, her mouth looked to be drooling. It was a rather humorous sight from the all too often stoic Champion. "This looks delicious…it's been so long since I've had a meal that wasn't craft services."
"Well, eat as much as you'd like," Serena stated, sliding an insistent glare over to Ash. He quickly got the message and decided to eat his own dinner at a slower pace. Once they were a little more settled in, Serena decided to strike up some conversation. "Is everything all right with the League these days?"
"Oh, yes, quite all right," Diantha answered, beginning to eat her food in a far more elegant fashion to Ash. Not that Serena cared if Ash was messy; it usually meant that he liked her cooking, which she took as good news. "Peaceful, except for the occasional challenger, of course. So, we've thought of spicing things up for the near future."
"Spishing up?" Ash asked, nearly spluttering with his food. He appeared to realize that, and choose to remedy it by swallowing thickly before he spoke up again. "What do you mean by spicing it up?"
Diantha didn't answer immediately, continuing to eat as though it was the best thing she'd ever tasted in her life. As Serena watched her, digging into her own food, she was pleased by that. It was always nice to make people happy by making something for them. She also assumed that it truly meant Diantha never had much time in her life for anything other than League or acting business. "We're in talks, we Champions."
"About what?" Ash asked, tilting his head to the side. Diantha reached up, wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin before placing it on her lap. Once she had, the woman leaned forward.
"We want to open a tournament, only for the best of the best," Diantha explained. Right away, Serena saw Ash's eyes lighting up brightly with the same giddy enthusiasm that he consistently used to showcase in his younger years. That spark had never diminished once, and it made her happy to know that even the slightest hint of a battle could make him shine. "Of course, scheduling could still be an issue, and not everyone may be able to attend, but we wanted to make a tournament, title it as the Champion Tournament, where ourselves, Elite Four members and top trainers, such as yourself, would take part. We even chose to throw some Gym Leaders in there for good measure, like Clemont. Would you be interested?"
"I don't think you even need to ask that," Serena laughed out gaily, popping a potato in her mouth as she did so. Ash looked to her, as if confirming that she knew her husband all too well. Diantha nodded her head again, clearly understanding that she had asked the right person.
"When would it happen? How long?" Ash asked eagerly, leaning over the table. Over in the living room, Pikachu appeared to have perked up at the sound of battles being mentioned, his ears twitching.
"Still working out the finer details," Diantha admitted, reaching for her glass of water and using it to wash down dinner, "but the basic thought is that we'll make it invitation only, and about a week before it starts, we'll make the big announcement. Of course, it requires a shortlist of the best trainers, but I'm sure we could rely on you and Clemont for that help. He's scheduled to do another IRCS update on the Hub next week."
"Of course, we'll help!" Ash proclaimed, throwing his fist up in the air and nearly falling off his chair. Pikachu was bounding over the couch, right into his best friend's lap and staring up at him with a smile. "You up for it, Pikachu?"
"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu said with a fierce grin, his cheeks lighting up with electricity. Serena beamed at the both of them, glad they had something they could get themselves excited for. Ash had actually been home for a while now, so there was no doubt he was about to reach his restless phase. Having something to do would be good for him, Serena, reasoned, even if Ash had only recently started thinking (and only a little, at that) about what he could do in the future that wouldn't make him reach that point. Though, it did leave Serena with the fact that she'd have nothing to do but support him in whatever he chose, and while she didn't mind it, the honey blonde still felt like doing something more. Her mind starting to churn with those thoughts, Serena looked over to Diantha, eating again, and broached a different subject.
"How have other things been going with the League?" Serena questioned. Diantha swallowed once more and chose to answer. Ash was busy scratching Pikachu behind the ears, but Serena could tell that her husband was listening closely.
"Good, actually," Diantha shared. "With how peaceful things have been, and ARC working for us behind the scenes, we've started thinking about expansion again."
"Expansion?" Serena asked, biting off a carrot from her fork and listening with interest. Diantha finished off what was on her plate quickly before continuing on.
"In the past, the League has always tried to find other regions to join in, like Alola," she explained, yet again placing the napkin daintily upon her lap. "Of course, when a lot of the issues started up around the deal with Shamouti, we slid everything to the backburner. It didn't help that the G-Men and International Police were already pulling their forces out of unruly regions, and disbanding some expert teams, after some missions that…didn't go so well. Even Lance was affected back then."
"Mm…" Serena mused, placing her fork on her plate and leaning back. She couldn't deny that there were a lot of places far less fortunate than Kalos. Alola had been one such place, all things considered, and while Gladion's work in building the Aether Foundation into a premiere rescue and aid society had gone swimmingly (with the remnants of Team Skull helping), no one could deny what it had been before he'd stepped up to the challenge. Even in Kalos, people could sometimes have their own share of problems, despite the peace.
"Well, we all know who was responsible for that at the time, so it's no surprise it didn't go well back then," Diantha stated sharply, her lips spitting venom at the thought. Serena wasn't at all surprised. Though she no longer liked thinking about him, instead striving towards her future with Ash, there was no denying what a part of their lives he'd made up. "Anyway, we've finally decided that after the Champion Tournament, we're going to start looking at other regions again, unruly or not. It'll be a long process, but there are various roles we're thinking of to make it happen, and who could fit what. Malva's been particularly interested in it, though that may just be for the potential news story. In any case, you both are always welcome to help, of course."
"Hmm…maybe," Ash said, tapping his chin. Serena could already see his mind had moved past that point, though. To his statement, Diantha crossed her legs over one another, while he decided to ask a question. "How's Lionel doing?"
"He seems well. When was the last time you saw him?" Diantha asked. Ash shrugged, making Serena laugh again. Remembering complex strategies on the fly was something he'd grown quite adept at, but when he'd last saw his father's friend escaped his mind far more often than not. "Well, he's off on his own thing. Last I heard, they'd been planning to set up base somewhere in Johto, but even I'm not privy to that information. Lance feeds them information for missions from time to time, but even and especially now, ARC is largely autonomous in the League setting. But I hear they're doing well."
"That's good," Ash said, smiling. He seemed to be remembering Lionel with some fondness, clearly wanting to speak with his father's best friend again, but the thought was quickly banished from his mind. "But anyway, we're super pumped for this tournament. It'll be great to see everyone again and battle you again."
"Oh, really?" Diantha said with a glint of humor to her eyes. Knowing that the two were about to talk at length about battles, Serena decided to clean the table off. Naturally, Ash launched right into a challenge and Serena blocked her husband out. Much as she loved him, listening to him talk about battles could get a little grating after a while. Instead, she let her mind turn towards other things.
There was little reason to think all of the regions wouldn't be enthralled by the tournament once it was announced, but Serena had to wonder if, perhaps, there would be those who didn't care about battles, much as Lillie had when they'd first met her. If so, there had to be a way to help them enjoy things while the tournament was going on. Perhaps something in line with her own skillset. Naturally, she didn't always think like this, but it was just an idea. As she washed the dishes, Serena continued to reflect on her own adventure in Alola, and how the Hope Leilani and Alola League had been side by side. That could be an idea to truly heighten the festivities.
It made a grin stretch her face, joined with the idea.
That line of thinking was such a positive one, for some reason, that even after she and Ash had seen Diantha off and decided to retire for the night, she still had the smile on her face. It was soon something that Ash chose to comment upon.
"What's on your mind, Serena?" Ash asked, turning in bed to face her. He still held that eternal excitement in his eyes, his leg almost bouncing on the bed. Serena looked at it in amusement, her eyes catching sight of Pikachu slipping out of the door and closing it with a yawn, while she turned the television (airing some detective show) off. She shifted in the bed and looked over at him.
"Well, it seems like you'll be busy again in the future, so I was thinking of what I could do," Serena stated. Ash nodded, looking at her. "I'm thinking of doing a Showcase Spectacular, really bring together all the Performers, past and present, for a huge event in Lumiose City. Think about it, with the two events together, imagine how many people will find something to be excited by."
"Sounds awesome," Ash expressed. To that, Serena felt grateful, and her mind quickly turned towards talking to Aria in the morning, knowing her fellow former Kalos Queen would be onboard with the idea. She lifted her arms up, placing them around her husband and smiling at him before leaning in for a kiss. Peace felt nice, and having the opportunity for peaceful things, especially. He kissed back, and she felt his hand on her shoulder, sliding the strap of her tanktop down.
She smiled back, and the two fell into their own little state of peace. Aria and the Showcase Spectacular could most certainly wait until the morning. She and Ash had their own things to do.
The weeks that led up to the Champion Tournament suddenly became far busier for Serena than Ash. While he made some quick trips to the League Hub in those following weeks, Serena found herself almost running ragged. First, she had to call together all of her old friends from her Showcase days, only excluding Nini, who she couldn't seem to find, even with the IRCS (rumor was that she'd left to Johto some weeks ago, doing Contests). That wasn't too much of a problem, though, Serena felt, and the rest of her friends seemed to believe so, too, including Bonnie. Although, Bonnie, who was staying in Lumiose City for some time with her family after a recent journey, made it quite clear she had no idea why Serena was trying to do all of this in the first place.
"I mean, you could just do a regular Showcase. What's making this one so special?" Bonnie asked lazily in one of the rooms at Prism Tower. Even a few weeks before, Serena and the others were already beginning to plan their Showcase Spectacular, and all of Aria, Miette and Shauna stared across at the lemon blonde, who was popping a cookie in her mouth lazily. On a screen in the room was Maka, listening in but poring over a script for her next big work.
"What's making it special is the influx on Performers," Serena stated confidently. "I want to bring Performers from all generations, not just the current one or our past one. Myself and Aria are former Kalos Queens, and Miette and Shauna are well known, too. But that's not very encouraging of the next generation. Just like how Ash has mentored new trainers, I want to take the chance to do the same, but in a different way. Making Lumiose even happier is like a bonus."
"And what ideas do you have for it?" Miette asked, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Her expression was contemplative, but said nothing.
"Just a few days of everyone able to really join in the Showcase feel," Serena told them all. "Like…hmm…Miette and Shauna do some baking stands to really show off that bit of Showcases, having us perform with new Performers, even some up and comers. If Miss Palermo could come as well, that would be really amazing."
"I could talk with her, though her age might prevent her from doing any actual performing. I could see about our current Queen, but from what I hear, she's rather busy, so we'd have to hold in her place," Aria shared. Serena nodded; she really expected no different for either of those two, but having someone from even the oldest group of Performers in this day and age would really help show everyone the different sides of culture that Showcases and those who took part in them had to offer.
"I could run advertisements," Maka now spoke across the line, looking up from her script. Serena glanced to her, watching her friend and rival closely. The girl tucked her hair behind her ear, tongue sticking out for but a moment before continuing. "If any of you want to drop by the studio in Unova before I make a trip to Po Town and head back home to Melemele, I could whip something up in a second. It'd be totally awesome. I know I don't…or didn't…whatever. I'm not part of the whole Showcase thing, but I'd love to help in any way that I can. Maybe Miss Akela can pitch in some of her clothing line, too, yeah?"
"Oh, I can do it! I can meet you in Unova!" Shauna volunteered gleefully, when Serena felt Aria pat her on the back.
"I think Serena should join you," the former Kalos Queen said with a light twinkle in her eyes. "Out of us, you're the one that's become more of a household name than even myself. People seeing your face on the screen will encourage them to come; meanwhile, myself and Miette can handle the invitations."
"I'll help!" Bonnie cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "I'm kinda bored here at home, so it gives me something to do while I'm here, especially with daddy away and Clemont busy with Gym and League stuff."
"Looks like we're going to Unova, then," Serena laughed out to Shauna. The latter quickly became excited and ran to pack her bags for the trip to the Lumiose airport, making a quick call to Tierno and Trevor. Serena only took the bag that she had on her, though before she could move to join the brunette, Aria took her aside. "Something wrong?"
"No," the pinkette stated, a finger to her lips. "Just…don't work too hard. You're looking a little pale."
"I'm fine!" Serena insisted, pumping her fists in the air. Aria regarded her for a moment, but eventually nodded, taking Serena in a hug before letting her go. The honey blonde waved to her friend and left Prism Tower to meet Shauna. She wasn't that worried, but still, Serena did a general check of her face once she was aboard the plane, finding her complexion hadn't changed that much. She felt relatively fine, other than a feeling of nausea that settled in over the plane ride. Serena chose to fight that down by writing out a series of notes, most of them pertaining to the Showcase Spectacular.
However, without thinking about it, her mind was already traveling beyond that. It was something that had been stirring within her for some time, ever since she'd filmed the movie alongside Maka. How the black-haired girl had turned what would have been a one-track career into something even more viable, bringing joy to the masses, was something that fixated itself in Serena's mind. There was simply more she wanted to do. It wasn't a case of putting it on herself, though; she'd learned that long ago. Instead, she wanted to find a way for Performers and Coordinators to apply their skills in a different fashion, one that couldn't ever go obsolete. However, she wasn't sure how quite to approach it, but figured that she'd know all that by the end of the Spectacular.
Yet, soon her time to think of such things (or anything, really) became incredibly limited, with barely any time even spent at home, as Ash soon noted (which felt ironic, since it was usually her pointing out his absence). Any time she was home, it was usually spent thinking about ways to improve the Spectacular that the others were setting up in Lumiose, the deadline for the big League announcement barreling down upon them. Some, like Dawn and May (one of whom was visiting an old friend in Sinnoh, and the other journeying elsewhere), had been forced to decline for other plans, but wanting to be there in spirit. However, a number of Performers, if not Coordinators, were already answering the call, making things get more hectic by the day. Between the filming in Unova, checking in with Maka, and then making multiple trips to Lumiose in a week as a result of all that, Serena felt busier than she had during her days as the Kalos Queen, to the point that Aria finally confronted her about it two weeks before the date of it.
"Go home and rest for a week," she insisted. Serena wanted to argue, but Aria had simply pushed her out, ordered a car home, and shoved her inside. "I can handle things here, Serena. We only need you on site next week. Please rest up. I don't want to catch you throwing up in the bathroom again from stress, understand?"
"All right," Serena finally sighed out, allowing herself to be dropped off at home. That particular day, Ash was actually home, training in the backyard with some of his on-hand Pokémon when he noticed her arrival. She waved to him with a smile, feeling the desire for a Pokepuff meant for a Fire type and finding some in the fridge. Deciding to eat it, Ash stepped in just as their phone rang. Before he could ask, Serena answered, "Aria sent me home for some rest."
"Well, rest is important," Ash agreed, right as he answered the phone. The picture popped up, displaying Lionel, dressed in what looked like some sort of desert garb. "Lionel! How are you? What's with the outfit?"
"Surveying in the Relic Desert!" Lionel greeted them, shouting over what seemed to be a sandstorm, located just outside the Pokémon Center he was in. Serena finished off her Pokepuff, feeling like her mouth was on fire when she stepped forward to join in the conversation. "Haven't had much of a chance to call recently, but the League just gave orders to investigate a town elsewhere in the region, so I figured I'd call, since I'll be tied up with that sooner than later. Heard about the Champion Tournament, and your own little Showcase Spectacular. Impressive advertisement."
"Thank you," Serena spoke to the man. Lionel nodded, as what seemed like a particularly strong sand gust battered the Center, causing the image to waver. "We're glad you're doing well."
"All for the peace, ha ha," Lionel laughed out when there was another sharp ringing on his end. He looked down and grimaced. "Whoops, guess I forgot to check in with Aidan. He's like a mother Combusken, always checking in on me. You two take care. Serena, you especially; you look pale. Get lots of rest."
"I'm fine, Lionel, but thank you," Serena told him, and soon the short conversation ended. Ash looked at Serena, watching her, as though he was observing the same paleness. She, however, decidedly laughed it off, starting to get a little annoyed at so many people fussing over her. "I'm fine, Ash. Just need some rest, okay? You just focus on the Champion Tournament. That announcement's in a week, and there's still a lot to do."
"As long as you take care of yourself," Ash insisted, folding his arms. "I don't want you getting sick."
She seriously doubted that was going to happen, and after a week of rest, she and Ash set off for Lumiose together, all of their Pokémon at their side to be ready for the big announcement that the League was set to make. Not that Serena focused on such things, joining with Aria to go over more checks before the big day. Naturally, the whole city flew into an uproar at the announcement of the tournament, growing excited from every single side. That made Serena glad to see; their efforts paid off at least a little, and helped to fill the gap for those who weren't as in to battling, or wanted some entertainment during the evenings, when the tournament wouldn't run.
With the official announcement made to the public, activity in Lumiose City, and in their group of Performers, increased by tenfold. From the groups of Performers that swarmed into the city, all the way to the decorations around Prism Tower meant to attract all sorts of attendants, Serena found herself running between so many different locations like some sort Alolan Raichu on Electric Terrain. She wasn't alone, either, given that Shauna, Miette and Aria were much the same.
"Though we have all the time we need," Miette pointed out as they ran errands the day before Ash was set to depart for the tournament. "I mean, from what I know, and what Shauna's said, Tierno and Trevor are planning to watch the tournament. Sawyer already left for it; he called me yesterday. And Aria…"
"Oh, we're all well aware who she's waiting to have call," Serena stated with a wink, bringing boxes of decorations over to the nearest Pokémon Center. Her feet stumbled, however, and she nearly crashed into the door, held up only by Miette.
"Speaking of doctors, maybe you need to see one. You're acting way too exhausted," the bluenette pointed out with concern. The concern lasted only a second before her lips turned up in a smirk. "Don't tell me that Ash isn't giving you enough time to rest. I mean, I'm sure he's well-"
"Miette…don't you say another word," Serena warned her, leading to Miette laughing, but helping her forward nonetheless. In any case, it seemed like a good idea to get herself checked out, so that she'd be at full health for the Spectacular. That was something Miette chose to help her with, though the bluenette didn't go in the room with her. Before entering, Serena turned to Miette with a teasing smile and said, "And for the record, Ash and I can keep an even pace in our lifestyles. How's Sawyer for you?"
"Serena! Not fair! You can't just-" That was the last that Serena thought about her friend's statements. Partially because her mind was swirling with all the little things that would be happening over the next few days…And definitely partially due to what she was told shortly after; something she should have seen coming, yet never thought of.
Either way, with a full and clean bill of health, all things considered, Serena felt herself filled with reassurance and determination for those coming days. It was those feelings which she imparted to Ash the next morning, as he was ready to depart with Clemont, Korrina, Alain and Mairin.
"You all just have fun, and we'll make sure Lumiose has a great time for when you return," Serena told her husband confidently, adding a wink on the end. Ash gave her a thumbs up and she just continued watching him, face flushed and tongue tied for a moment. However, she eventually settled on something to say. "Call me after the first round?"
"You bet!" Ash insisted. Serena walked forward as the others began to turn away for their own roads. Before he could question it or say anything, Serena quickly kissed him, following her action by leaning up to whisper in his ear.
"Gotta talk to you when you get back, okay?" she said.
"Something serious?" She debated for a moment, but eventually chose to shake her head. It wasn't so important that it should distract Ash from the tournament. Knowing that, she stepped back, beaming at her husband and all of the departing competitors, waving to them as they left. Feeling lighter, and looking forward to the days ahead, Serena finally headed back inside Prism Tower, all of the Performers there waiting and gathered. Aria came to stand at her side with a light and positive smile.
Glancing around at all the Performers gathering there, only a scant few of them having noticed her presence, Serena watched all of them with her smile blossoming forth. They really had answered the call for the Performers to come. From Palermo, the elderly woman sitting upon a chair that Bonnie had brought for her and tapping her foot as she surveyed the crowd, to their own generation like those such as Concetta and (if Serena remembered right) a Performer named Amelia. What really warmed Serena's heart, however, was seeing all of the new and growing Performers of that next generation. She could already notice a lot of them, including the girl Emmy, that she had met multiple times, the girl having made the semifinals the year before and crawled into the finals this last year. Emmy was quite bright, now at the age of seventeen (matching Bonnie in vivaciousness, no less), though her companion, who Serena had seen somewhere around, certainly helped in that regard.
Glad at all those they could gather for the event, a symbol of the enduring peace they had all fought so hard for, Serena clapped her hands. All of them turned to her and Aria, as the former Kalos Queens stepped forward.
"Everyone, it's time for us to make the people of Lumiose smile, so everyone can enjoy the peaceful times we live in!" the honey blonde spoke. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
Fín
Author's Note: The first part of this prologue focused on Ash, while this one focused a little more on Serena. She's got something in the works for the future of performing and Showcases, but for now, she's throwing together a Spectacular for while the tournament is going on. It also gave a bit more background on where some other characters and the League is at heading into the final story. It also went back a little further, but essentially ended at the same exact spot.
The next part, however, will focus on neither of them, but will be a pretty big and important one, I feel, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Do note, though, that unlike these last many weeks, you won't have a week before Tomorrow begins, but just two days from that last part to be caught up. And yes, the last lines of these two parts have been deliberate.
Well, as this is a threeshot, I'll give thanks to the people who definitely gave words to the first part: 7roop3r, AmourshippingSatoSereCanon, Citylover96, Coppa-Cola, Don't nV me, Gregory the Commodore, JJMAN65, Kevin the Amourshipper, Maurice Elias A. Nigma, Rokudosatoshi, RougeClyde, Taks0708, Technetium2, jlogan2748, skyjadeprincess, DrTheris, FrivMasterAnthony2, SamZJ, miga330, Black Fuego Rio and RabbitTris26 for favoriting; 77xfire, ArtisticFoxCat1, Mr Chipote, Paleb05, blizzardblaze174, princelotor81 and stardust902 for following; and a really huge thanks to Leaflame, MythGirl the Pokemon master, Amourshiper35, ShiningAura, aliensinnoh, AdvancedAlto, FantasyLover88, Rajiv A. Rajiram, Tenzalucard123, ultimateCCC, XDiamondX90, Omegaz, potat lasaro, necris14, ChE clarinetist, Vivian Gray, AmourshippingCanon, TheShapeH31, Shirony, StacheKing and 3 guests for reviewing. I appreciate all of you. Until the final part, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.