Author's Note:

Here it is, the chapter focused around Serena's future goal and the return of the Kalos trio. The main focus will be on Serena and Shauna since it is her contest. Remember when I said Serena's Kanto mega will be getting its mega stone soon, well, that might happen as well. Now, I have run into a slight problem when planning a future arc. The first thing I plan out is the main characters teams for that arc and I've come across Iris from Unova. Her goal is to become a dragon type master and I don't consider someone a type specialist if they use Pokemon other than that type. Iris has both an Excadrill and Emolga. I am tempted to give her replacements to those Pokemon which are dragon type but if I do than I will give both of them to other characters. I still have a long time before I reach Unova but I want your guys opinion on what I should do. Anyway, remember to vote in the latest poll. It is up until Ash catches his next Pokemon (which is his cannon catch) and with that, let's begin...

Chapter 7: Pokemon Contests

It is the day after Ash's battle with Cissy and the group is riding on Lapras' back. Since it was so late after the battle, they stayed on Mikan Island for one more night and while on course to Navel Island for his gym, they are stopping off at Mandarin Island, a.k.a. The Big Orange, as this is the sight for Shauna's next Contest and just like they planned, Serena is going to watch it.

While not interested in Contest particular, Ash is going to use this time to train his Pokemon. Of course, he would watch and support Serena in contests if she decides to compete but that isn't the case today. Misty has decided to go with Serena to watch the contest as well, while Drake wants to train his Pokemon with Ash, especially since they haven't had much chance to train in the Orange Islands.

"Laaaaa!" Lapras cried as she wanted to get the others attention.

"What's up, Lapras?" Ash asked. As he grabbed Togepi off the transport Pokemon's head, while he knows Lapras wouldn't let anything happen to him, he was a little wobbly and he wants to speak with the fairy type anyway.

"The next Island is coming up." Lapras informed. Looking past his water ice types head, he could just make out the silhouette of a big city, from this distance it seems to resemble Saffron City from Kanto but that is probably because they are both big cities.

"Alright, thanks Lapras." Ash thanked and received the transport Pokemon nuzzling her head against his. After a couple of moments, Lapras turned back to facing forward and picked up the speed a bit.

"Dada?" Togepi asked, he was having fun with Uncle Pikachu and the other youngster of the Pokemon, why did he take him away from them.

"Don't worry Togepi, I just wanted to ask you something." Ash answered after guessing what he meant. Even though Togepi can't fully speak Ash can just sort of sense what he means because of the bond they share. "Since we are splitting up temporarily when we reach land, do you want to train with me and Drake or go and watch the contest with Serena and Misty?".

It may seem like a weird question since Togepi is Ash's Pokemon but during every training session so far Togepi would stay with Serena or Brock when he was still in the group. Plus, Ash has changed his team around and there is one of his Pokemon that isn't suitable for the young fairy type.

"Toge Toge!" Togepi cheered as he pointed to Serena with his stubby little arms. Ash already asked Serena beforehand if she was happy to watch him, she knows that Ash doesn't mind watching him but he plans to start working with one of his Pokemon in particular so he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the fairy type plus she really doesn't mind spending time with the Spike Ball. Although he hasn't imprinted on her, she is kind've like his step mother.

"Okay Togepi, you can join us. Who knows, maybe you would like to perform in contests when your older." Serena smiled as she took the young fairy type. In truth, the Spike Ball Pokemon wants to show his dada how much he has grown up. He might even try using other words soon.

"Um Serena..." Ash sweat dropped. Togepi has pretty much already decided he will join Ash's team when he is old enough but contests aren't really his area, sure he will support Serena with them but if Togepi was going to perform in contests that would mean he would need to as well.

"Well we're almost there." Misty pointed out.

"Yeah, you said you was meeting Shauna at the Pokemon Centre, right?" Ash asked his girlfriend.

"Right, if you two want to go to the beach right away to train. We will be happy to book the room for tonight." Serena offered.

"That would be great, thanks Serena." Ash replied with a friendly smile.

"Yeah thanks." Drake also thanked. While it might seem rude, he still isn't the most social of people although he is still polite.

It wasn't long before Lapras landed on a beach. What was a surprise being this section of the beach is rather empty, probably because it is off from the main road and out of the way? Still, it would make a good training area for the boys. The girls bid them goodbye with Togepi in tow. He is going to be on his best behaviour to show his dada how grown up he is.

"Come on out, everyone!" Ash shouted as he threw his two Pokeballs, Safari ball and Ultra ball in the air.

Lapras was already out since Ash didn't see much point in returning her and Pikachu was also out. In a flash of light, Ash's on hand team appeared in front of him with his two other Pokemon joining them. His current team consists of: Pikachu, Charizard, Sandslash, Tauros, Dragonair and Lapras.

Upon appearing Charizard and Dragonair greeted Lapras. They have heard Ivysaur and Pidgeot speak about the latest team member and know she is quite young so they want to make her feel welcome. A princess must personally welcome each of her subjects into her kingdom after all.

Drake wasn't as vocal as Ash and simply released his five on hand Pokemon with his Cubone joining the line-up. His current team consists of: Charizard, Pinsir, Jolteon, Machamp, Cubone and Snorlax. Since he doesn't have as many Pokemon as Ash does, Drake can't rotate quite as many as his brother.

"Okay guys, today is a training day." Ash told his Pokemon. Upon hearing that the two Charizard looked at each other with fire behind their eyes. These two have started a rivalry but haven't had the chance to properly battle yet. The two brothers looked at the Flame Pokemon and sighed.

"You two can battle." Drake told them.

"Just don't get in anybody else's way and keep out of trouble." Ash added. The two Charizard smirked and nodded. Both let out powerful roars before they shot into the air and started to trade blows with Wing Attack and Steel Wing respectively.

Dragonair rolled her eyes at the brutes of the Kingdom. It doesn't matter which of those two is the strongest because they both fall against the princess herself and can't stand up to her strength. She also noticed the ground brute has walked off somewhere. Her attention was drawn back to her trainer as he approached her.

"Hey Dragonair, can you help me with something?" Ash asked.

"What does thy ask of me?" Dragonair asked as she doesn't want to agree until she hears what it is she is agreeing to. She knows Ash wouldn't want her to do anything stupid or dangerous but a princess can't make an agreement without knowing the terms.

"I know you've recently mastered Ice Beam, and I want you to help Lapras learn that move." Ash explained with a sweat drop. While she is one of his strongest Pokemon and really nice when you get to know her but her princess act can make things awkward.

"Of course, I shall help my latest subject to give her an advantage on the battlefield." Dragonair replied.

"Great. Thanks, Dragonair." Ash thanked before walking with her towards Lapras who is floating in the water.

She is excited for her first real training session and can't wait to see what Ash has in store. She saw Ash approaching her and the snake like dragon with him. She looked at him expectantly. What is her first training session going to be? Maybe a battle like the two Charizard or maybe some sort of excise, she can see Drake has his really muscular fighting type and his bug type doing push ups at the minute.

"Hey Lapras, are you ready for your first training session?" Ash asked.

"Yes." Lapras replied with excitement.

"Well you've already met Dragonair, right?" Ash asked. Lapras nodded in response. While it is nice to have another female in the team, she can't help but think Pidgeot is nicer and more of a motherly figure. Although she can't expect Ash's Pokemon to take over the roles in her family. "Well Lapras, Dragonair is going to help you learn the move Ice Beam. I think it would be really useful since your best move currently is Water Pulse. It has some solid power but isn't too tricky like Blizzard would be.". Lapras nodded in excitement. She knows only a few moves since her father said she was too young for battling. This is going to be so much fun.

"Good child. Let's move out into the water, those brutes in the air shouldn't both us there." Dragonair informed before entering the water and swimming out. Both Lapras and Ash sweat dropped, from what Lapras could tell when she met Charizard he was nice although he is also kind of scary with how he is battling against that other Charizard. Oh well, at least this will get her stronger and maybe she can get to know Dragonair more whilst at it. Lapras swam after the dragon type.

Ash smiled as he turned back to see what the others were doing. Of course, Dragonair is helping Lapras learn the move Ice Beam and the two Charizard are battling, but Pikachu has also paired up with Cubone and are matching Iron Tail with Bone Club. Tauros is running along the sand and while it doesn't look like much Ash knows he is trying to train the weakness that Cissy exploited in yesterday's race. Machamp and Pinsir are both preforming push ups to increase their physical strength while Snorlax and Jolteon are teamed up. Jolteon is using his speed to help Snorlax with his reflexes.

"So, what should we do now, Ash?" Drake asked. He normally watches over his Pokemon whilst they train to give them pointers but if he has learned one thing whilst travelling with Ash, it's that he probably has a way to bond whilst training.

"We join them, of course." Ash replied matter-of-factly. "I'm going to work with Sandslash, see you in a bit.".

Drake sighed as his brother ran over to his ground type who is slashing his claws against a rock. He is an academic not athletic type of person. Well, if it will help him get closer to his Pokemon it has to be worth it. He made his way over to his Pinsir and Machamp who are doing push ups. Taking off his jacket, he started to do the same exercise as his two Pokemon. Both of them sweat dropped at how awkward their trainer is preforming a basic warm up, this really is out of his comfort zone.

"Hey Sandslash, mind if I join ya?" Ash asked as he ran up to his ground type. This whole league is about bonding with Pokemon and to this date, Sandslash is the only Pokemon he hasn't bonded with on his team.

Sandslash growled threateningly and rolled his eyes before going back to slashing his claws against the rock, leaving some deep marks on the solid object. Normally Sandslash would attack anyone who dares enter his space, especially a human, their all the same and he still has the scares to prove it. But this brat did prove himself a little when he ran in between those two psychic types way back. Don't get him wrong, he doesn't like the brat but that proved that attacking him wouldn't get the message across.

Ash realised that is the best answer he could expect from the ground type and smiled. He took off his jacket before preforming some stretches. He soon sat facing the rock, just a different side to the one Sandslash is marking. He started doing sit-ups. "So Sandslash, what's on your mind?".

Sandslash growled threateningly and placed his claw in the sand before using it to create a deep line between himself and the brat. He isn't going to fall for that goody act about being friends and helping each other. Humans are all the same. Ash sweat dropped at Sandslash's actions, he is clearly making no attempt to even let Ash in, this is going to be harder than he thought.

"Serena! Misty! There you guys are." Shauna squealed in excitement as she ran up to her two friends. The two girls have just walked out of the Pokemon Centre after booking the room for the night. Serena was going to call the Kalos native to see where they should meet up but that isn't needed now.

"Hey Shauna, long time no see." Serena greeted the excited girl with a hug.

"Yeah Shauna, it's good to see you again." Misty greeted as the quick hug ended. "Where are Tierno and Trevor?".

"Oh, I sent them to train because they were getting on my nerves." Shauna replied with a surprising happy smile. "I've got a contest rival and Tierno has developed a crush on her. In the end, I ended up asking who he was supporting... But on the bright side, he's moved on from you, Serena.".

"Oh goodie..." Serena put on a fake smile. While she is happy she won't need to deal with Tierno's flirting anymore, she can't help but feel sorry for Shauna, Serena has only really had Miette as a rival and she knows how bad she would feel if one of her travelling friends would support her back when they battled.

"This rival sounds like a jerk." Misty commented.

"Oh no, she is actually quite nice. But she one of the most skilled coordinators that I have ever seen." Shauna explained. "Everyone is saying the same thing, she is the coordinator to beat in the Orange Island Contest circuit.".

"Who is she? Is she competing today?" Serena asked.

"I haven't seen her here and I faced a few days ago at the Kinnow Island Contest. She won her fourth badge and she told me she was taking a little break to perfect a new combination." Shauna explained. "I'm guessing I probably won't see her again until the grand festival.".

"So, what did Tierno say?" Misty asked.

"He told me he was supporting, and asked if I would put in a good word with her." Shauna explained with a sweat drop. "I know he was joking, mostly. I'll just let him sweat it out a bit before I put his nerves to rest.". Serena and Misty smiled, they like this girls style.

"Who knows Serena, if you decide to do contests you might end up with two rivals instead of just Shauna." Misty joked.

"Maybe..." Serena replied. She is really excited to see Shauna compete in a contest and from everything she has learned they seem to be right up her alley. She is only unsure because of the painful memory of when she faced the Battle Chateau for the first time and how badly that ended. She doesn't want to run into something unprepared again.

"Sorry but even if you do decide to compete, Serena, you won't be able to go to the Grand Festival being held before the Orange League." Shauna apologised as she explained to her two friends.

"How come?" Misty asked.

"If you don't count this today's contest, which has already been filled. There are only four contests being held before the grand festival." Shauna explained. "And to compete in the grand festival, you need a minimum of five ribbons.".

"Oh..." Serena replied, while she didn't want to rush into anything she also kind of feels sad now, everything she has seen about contests has told her she would enjoy competing in them but now she won't be able to compete while Ash is working towards the Orange League. "At least I can enjoy today's contest.".

"Right... And you'll watch me compete in the Grand Festival, right?" Shauna asked.

"Of course." Serena smiled in return. So, what if she can't compete in the Orange Island Grand Festival, she can still learn all she can about contests and then where ever they decided to travel next, she can compete than. Since they have little under three months before the Orange League, she won't have to wait too long before she can compete.

"Should we get going then? Or Shauna, you might miss your chance to compete today." Misty suggested. The two girls saw her logic and set off for the Contest hall.

Shauna spent some time getting to know Togepi and much to Misty's annoyance, Togepi didn't have a problem with the budding coordinator. It has nothing to do with Shauna herself as she is very friendly. It's just because Togepi hasn't forgiven her for the first time they met.

Once the girls reached the contest hall, Shauna bid the girls good bye to get ready for the first round. Lucky all participating coordinators get so many seats for their guests so it didn't cost Serena or Misty anything. The two girls found their seats and soon the Contest had started.

The first round was an appeal round and before Shauna there were five other coordinators. These trainers clearly ranged in skill and used different Pokemon like: Growlithe, Vaporeon, Gloom, Electabuzz and a Farfetch'd. Serena briefly wondered what her own Farfetch'd would think of this and sweat dropped. Despite listening and respecting the honey-blonde girl, while he is a show off, this is clearly not his thing but he might take part in the battle round.

"Next on the stage is, Shauna Sana!" The MC announced as Shauna came running out onto the stage with a Pokeball in hand. She was wearing her normal attire but instead of having her hair in pig-tails it was loose and falling freely.

"You're up, Venomoth!" Shauna shouted as she threw her Pokeball. In a flash of light, the bug poison type appeared but the weird thing was, her wings seemed to be sparkling. "Start off with Powder Wind, Venomoth!".

Serena and Misty looked at each other, neither of them have ever heard of a move called Powder Wind so what is she on about? Venomoth unleashed three different coloured powders from his wings, using a combination of Stun Spore (which has a yellow colour), Poison Powder (which has a purple colour) and Sleep Powder (which has a green colour).

Next Venomoth started to flap his wings and pushed the powders around on the wind. The girls remembered how Ash's Butterfree would do a similar thing to make the powders more likely to hit, but instead of just going forward. The wind started to spin around the Poison Moth Pokemon with the multicoloured powders covering her. Soon a rainbow coloured cocoon appeared around Venomoth.

"Now use Bug Buzz!" Shauna shouted.

Suddenly, a noise could be heard from within the cocoon. While it sounds nice, contrary to the normal use of Bug Buzz, the visual appeal was even greater as dark green lights burst out of the Powder cocoon, adding to the colourful display. Both Serena and Misty couldn't help but gawk at the design on stage.

"Time for the big finish, Venomoth. Use Zen Headbutt!" Shauna declared as she ran in front of the cocoon.

The green lights seemed to be shooting out from the same point within the cocoon although they shot out in all different directions. From that point, a blue dazzling ball appeared and it started moving towards the top of the cocoon. The design burst open as Venomoth shot out of the top with the psychic type move ending. The cocoon burst open and created the image of a Venomoth with the real Poison Moth at the top.

Shauna did a curtsy as both the design and Venomoth slowly landed. Venomoth landed on her head, doing her own curtsy while the design fade. The crowd erupted in cheers as the MC appeared on stage.

"Let's hear what our judges have to say about that grand performance by Shauna." The MC declared as she gestured towards the judges.

"The design and flare not only shows of Venomoth's power but also her beauty. 9.4." The first judge declared as his score appeared on the small screen in the centre of table which he is sat at. This judge is an older male, around forty with a red suit and black hair.

"It was simply, remarkable. 9.7." The second judge added. This judge is also may but quite a bit shorter than the others. He is in a navy-blue suit and looks to be around thirty-five in age.

"The shine on Venomoth's wings show just how healthy and well raised she is. 9.5" The final judge added who turned out to be Nurse Joy.

"And Shauna's total combine points is, 28.6. That is the highest score so far." The MC announced.

Serena and Misty watched as Shauna did one last curtsy with her Venomoth sat on her head before they took off the stage. There was a quick intermission where the powder was cleaned off the stage before the other coordinators had their chance. Although they varied in skill, both girls had to agree that Shauna's was by far the best. The score also agreed as no-body was able to overtake her score.

"Wow, who knew you could create such a great display with just one Pokemon." Serena told the orange haired girl sat next to her.

"Right, for a bug type Venomoth showed it wasn't only strong but beautiful too." Misty added.

"Toge!" Togepi cried out in excitement. Maybe if he could pull something like that off, he will show his dada how grown up he is.

"You liked it too, Togepi?" Serena asked.

"Priiiii!" Togepi cheered.

"Um Ash, where did this second scare come from?" Drake asked. Ash is currently lying on a beach towel while his brother is preforming first aid on him. He has a nasty cut down his chest and looking around, all the Pokemon except for one is out.

It is Sandslash who is not currently out. After half an hour of Ash talking to him and annoying him while exercising next to him, Sandslash snapped, he has heard the 'we will be a team' and 'I only want to help' speech before and it doesn't matter who says it, all humans are the same. In a fit of anger, Sandslash lashed out at Ash and it took Dragonair, Machamp and Pinsir to restrain him long enough so Ash could return him.

"Hehehe, I got it when I caught Sandslash." Ash chuckled nervously at his brother's question. Drake sighed and continued to clean his brother's wound. Lucky, it isn't too deep, nor did it hit anything vital like an archery or organ but it will leave a scare for life. The second one Ash has received from his ground type.

"Maybe you should just leave Sandslash in his Pokeball for today and let him calm down." Drake informed as he used a bandage to cover the wound until it closes up, he also sighed before maybe saying the next part. "And you might also want to consider what you're going to do with Sandslash.".

"What's that meant to mean?" Ash asked with offence clearly being taken.

"What I mean is, maybe you can't help Sandslash. It's been over a year and your still no closer to getting him to open up." Drake replied. "I know you don't want to hear it, Ash. But some people don't want help, the same can go for Pokemon as well.".

"... But." Ash tried to fight back.

"Look Ash, it is your decision. And I know if anyone can get him to open up, it's you." Drake replied. "But is it really worth getting any more scares when Sandslash has made no effort in return? I'm sure mum wouldn't be happy to find Sandslash has attacked you like this.".

Ash sweat dropped at what his mother would do if she found out about this. He doubts his Sandslash would even survive one night at the lab, especially if Gyarados hears about this too. Still, Ash can almost feel the pain radiating off Sandslash, it might be his aura, he is not sure about that but he can't let the ground type go if he is feeling like this. It is just not in Ash's nature, and the physical pain from these scares are nothing compared to the pain that is coming off Sandslash.

"Drake, I know it might seem strange but I can't let Sandslash go with how he is now." Ash explained. Ash knew the look on his brother's face was asking what he was on about as his brother packed the first aid kit away. Ash sat up and put his shirt back on, he doesn't want any questions being asked about his scares. "What I mean is, I can feel his pain. And I know if I just let him go, he will never move on.".

"If you are sure this is the right thing to do." Drake replied. "Just be sure tha...".

The raven-haired boy was cut off by three powerful roars. The first two are easy to guess but the third one is a little more awkward. Turning to the source, the two brothers saw their two Charizard but instead of battling each other, they are stood on top of another Charizard who appeared to be angry that they teamed up on him.

"Where did..." Ash went to ask.

"I have no idea." Drake answered.

"Oh no, not again Charizard." A somewhat familiar voice cried. Turning to the source they found Trevor and Tierno running on the beach.

"I am guessing that is your Charizard?" Drake asked.

"Yeah... Oh hey, it's you guys." Trevor replied. "Ash and Drake, right?".

"Yeah." Drake replied.

Another roar caused the group to look back to the trio of Charizard and all three were stood whilst facing each other. It is clear that they are getting ready to battle and it seems like Trevor's doesn't know about the not causing damage rule the twins told their own Charizard.

"It looks like they are going to fight." Trevor stated lamely. "This won't be pretty.".

"Not if I have anything to do about it." Ash replied. He put his fingers in him mouth and whistled. While most of his and Drake's Pokemon, none of the Charizard looked away from each other. "Dragonair, can you stop them please!".

The Dragon type sighed and told Lapras to hold on for a moment. Shooting out of the water, she sped through the air with an Extreme Speed. As soon as she was over the three over grown lizards, she coated her tail in water and swung the Aqua Tail around. The water type move struck Trevor's Charizard's head and knocked him to the ground.

Before the other two Charizard could respond, Dragonair wrapped her body around the two Flame Pokemon's necks and banged their heads together. While all three of the fire flying types were dazed, she unleashed several Thunder Waves from the jewel at her neck where she paralysed all three at once.

"Is that your Dragonair?" Tierno asked as Dragonair loomed over the three downed Pokemon. Of course, she would normally have a harder time against them but due to their previous battle, they are already tired although none would admit it.

"Yep..." Ash replied impressed by his dragon types show of strength. Dragonair looked at the four trainers not looking all too impressed.

"Your welcome." Dragonair told them. "Now if you excuse me, the child has almost mastered that move you asked me to teacher her.". Not waiting for a response, she returned to Lapras.

Said transport Pokemon was also impressed by her teacher's strength. It should be obvious that Dragonair is strong considering she is a dragon type and when she evolves becomes a pseudo legendary but seeing it in person makes it real. While Dragonair hasn't been as friendly as Pidgeot or Ash, and the way she speaks can be a little rude, once Lapras got to know her, the dragon turned out to be nice, in her own way.

The four trainers looked at each other before they realised they should go and check on their Charizard's, not only to make sure they are physically okay but also make sure that their prides weren't too badly damaged. Despite having the fact that they were tired from the previous bout, all being taken down by the one Pokemon after only a few moves wouldn't leave them feeling the best. Once they trainers appeared by their Pokemon, they used a combination of Paralysis heal and Super Potions to heal the damage they had taken. Lucky the status condition was enough to calm them down and they weren't so eager to battle once healed.

"So, what happened?" Drake asked the two new comers.

"We were having a practise battle on the beach a little bit away. My Blastoise against Trevor's Charizard." Tierno explained. "Of course, when he saw your two Charizard battling in the air, he wanted in on the action and abandond our battle to join theirs.".

The twins looked at Trevor's Charizard who had a sheepish grin on his face with a sweat drop. This Charizard really is a hot head, no pun intended. When they met on Pummelo Island he chased after a wild Pidgey who stole some food from him and today is left one battle to join another.

Once over the initial shock the group got back to do some training. Ash check on Lapras and was impressed that she already learnt Ice Beam, despite acting like a princess, Dragonair is one good teacher, because of this he decided to work with Lapras for a bit and set Dragonair onto her own training. They also stopped the battles between the Charizard and Pikachu and Cubone setting them on to their training programmes while Trevor and Tierno also joined in the training.

In the contest hall, once all 16 coordinators preformed the top four moved on to the second round. Shauna was still the highest scoring out of them which meant she moved on. She was joined by a girl with a Meowth, a boy with a Cloyster and another boy with a Primeape. Although they were allowed to switch Pokemon between rounds, only Shauna used that and brought out her Ivysaur instead.

The first round was the two boys against each other, while Shauna and Ivysaur battled the girl with the Meowth. Shauna was the victor in her battle and moved onto the final with the boy with a Primeape. Soon it was time for the final battle.

"On my left, it's Shauna. And on my right, it's Joseph." The MC announced as both trainers gripped there Pokeballs. "Five minutes on the clock and... Begin!".

"You're on, Ivysaur!" Shauna shouted as she released her Seed Pokemon. With a mighty cry, the grass poison type appeared on the field.

"It's Showtime, Primeape!" Joseph shouted as he released his Pig Monkey Pokemon. The fighting type appeared on the battlefield and pounded his fists against the ground in a way to invigorate himself. Serena and Misty couldn't help but think it is a little funny with how both the Pokemon in the final are species that Ash has.

"Ivysaur, start off with Take Down and use Poison Powder." Shauna instructed.

Ivysaur cried as he started running at the fighting type whilst building up momentum. As he was running, trails of purple powder were released from the bulb on the grass poison type's back. It created a sort of cape image for the Seed Pokemon.

"Jump out of the way and use Fire Punch on that powder." Joseph instructed.

Primeape grunted and jumped clear above the grass poison type as he clenched his fists which burst into flames. As he flew over Ivysaur, he punched his fist down in to the trail of Poison Powder behind Ivysaur who brought himself to a stop before he took recoil damage for the Take Down which missed. The Fire Punch set the powder a light and it looked like Ivysaur was going to get burnt by the raging flames. As Primeape landed a safe distance away.

"Use that fire in a Sunny Day!" Shauna shouted.

Ivysaur crouched down and started to take in solar energy as the flames closed in. Once the flames were right above him, he shot a ball of white energy into the air, this ball acted like a powerful sun and it took the flames into the air with it. Exploding once it reached its height, using the flames to make like a firework.

"Wow, what a way to use her opponents counter attack." The MC announced as the audience gawked at the sight.

"Well let's see you counter this, Thrash Primeape!" Joseph replied.

Primeape turned to the grass poison type and smirked. Stamping his feet caused a cloud of dust to appear around them. Shooting out of the cloud of dust, Primeape went storming towards Ivysaur in a show of speed and powder.

"We'll do just that, Vine Whip Ivysaur." Shauna smirked confidently.

Ivysaur let out a mighty cry as he unleashed four vines from the bulb on his back. He tried to use the Vines to restrain the fighting type, but to Primeape's superior speed and fast reflexes, Ivysaur couldn't find an open spot. Before Shauna could change tactics, Primeape crashed into the Seed Pokemon and sent him flying.

Ivysaur landed in front of his trainer and struggled to push himself up. As he struggled to his feet, Primeape turned around and was charging at the grass poison type ready to land another Thrash attack.

"Grass Knot!" Shauna shouted in a panick.

It seems like the she has lost the advantage but she is determined to win her forth ribbon today. Ivysaur pushed himself up with a similar determination and closed his eyes as he focused. Two blades of grass sprout out of the ground and tied together, catching Primeape's foot and it caused him to fall over.

"Now finish it with Solar Beam!" Shauna shouted in excitement.

Ivysaur started to take in sunlight and thanks to the previously used Sunny Day, the Solar Beam was charged a lot faster. Primeape was struggling to his feet as the white beam of grass type energy was fired out of his bulb. It struck the Pig Monkey Pokemon and exploded upon contact. The fighting type was sent flying thanks to the explosion and landed on his back with swirls in his eyes.

"With twenty seconds left on the clock, Shauna wins by a knockout victory." The MC announced.

Looking towards the score board, it showed that Shauna had lost little under half her points while the other trainer had lost around three quarters before the remaining points and his photo disappeared. Shauna's picture took up the screen with a picture of each of her Pokemon used and the word winner underneath.

With the battle over, Shauna was present with the Mandarin Island Contest ribbon and with the competition over, she left as did Serena and Misty, meeting up outside the contest hall where they decided to go to a beach so Serena could practice some of her own combinations.

"Okay every, come on out!" Serena shouted as she threw her six Pokeballs into the air, like Ash and Drake, Serena also made a few rotations so her current team appeared in front of her on the beach. The team consists of: Delphox, Beedrill, Kadabra, Eevee, Farfetch'd and Kabuto.

In hindsight, maybe this isn't the best team to practise contest combinations with. While she is sure Delphox and Eevee would like them just as much as she does and if anything, Farfetch'd will like the battle rounds because he is a show off but both Beedrill and Kadabra is a serious battler, which means they will probably find this sort of thing a waste of time. Not to mention Kabuto hasn't really got any battle experience let alone contest experience. Still, they should give it a try.

"Hey guys, is time for some training." Serena told her six Pokemon. "We've just came back from watching a Pokemon contest and they look really fun, I think you would also like them.".

Just like Serena predicted, Delphox and Eevee looked excited to give that sort of thing a try as they have seen some contest stuff when Serena was looking them up and they definitely seem like something they will enjoy. Beedrill, Kadabra and Farfetch'd, however, don't seem the least bit interested. Kabuto is shaking in a combination of nerves and excitement. He really hates being weak and timid so getting stronger is one thing he would love but his timidness is still there and after seeing how intense some training sessions can get he can't deny that the prospect is scaring him.

"Wow Serena, all your Pokemon look great!" Shauna exclaimed in excitement.

"Hehehe, thanks Shauna." Serena chuckled lightly before turning back to her Pokemon. "Guys, this is our new friend, Shauna. She was the winner of the contest and she offered to show you a demonstration of both her appeal round performance and a mock contest battle.".

While not the most excited at testing out these contest things, the boys did agree to watch the two shows. They all respect their trainer so it is the least they can do, plus they might find something they like with the show.

Misty released her on hand team of: Starmie, Goldeen, Tentacruel, Kingler, Psyduck, and Poliwag and while Goldeen had to stay in the water the others joined Serena's Pokemon to watch Shauna's demonstration.

First, Shauna showed off the same appeal display with Venomoth which she used in the contest. While certainly impressive, the three boys had their own thought and it appealed most to Farfetch'd since he likes to show off but his typical thing is showing off with his battling skill and strength.

Shauna let out her Ivysaur next and she had her two Pokemon enter a mock contest battle, and let them act on their own without her input. Now this was something that appealed to Farfetch'd. He isn't too fond of the first thing but showing off in battle is his speciality. Beedrill and Kadabra, on the other hand, weren't impressed with what they saw. Although out of the two of them, Beedrill was more willing to give it ago because he doesn't want to get disappointed.

Serena was working with Shauna, Delphox, Eevee, and Kabuto to come up with an appeal round performance's. While Venomoth and Ivysaur started working with Beedrill, Kadabra and Farfetch'd. Beedrill was sparring with Venomoth while trying out the advice the fellow bug poison type gave him while Farfetch'd sparred with Ivysaur in a similar manner.

The only one not getting involved was Kadabra. He watched the displays and listened to the advice about doing it right, and while it looks very pretty he can't help but think it is a waste of time. He is a strong Pokemon, he loves to battle, but what is the point in making his moves 'appealing' for the spectator of the battle, it won't cause any extra damage. On the contrary, by focusing on a moves appeal he would be losing precious training time to make his attacks more powerful. He really likes Serena and wouldn't want to upset her but he can't lower himself to do something so pointless, he is a smart psychic type after all.

"Hey Serena, it looks like a couple of your Pokemon aren't doing too well." Shauna pointed out. The girls just left the three Pokemon to work on the basic manuvers to base their appeal performance from but none of them could hold a candle to Venomoth's performance, which is understandable since it is there first attempt.

Serena looked over to said Pokemon and what she saw surprised her. Farfetch'd was going at Ivysaur in a proper contest battle, of course Ivysaur easily countered all of the normal flying types attacks but Farfetch'd seems to be enjoying himself.

Next, she saw Beedrill who was trying to get a hang of this new battle style whilst sparring with Venomoth but was having trouble getting a hang of it and as a result he was getting angry with himself.

Although the biggest surprise is that she can't see Kadabra anywhere. He doesn't have a partner so maybe he is working by himself? Well she can search for him later, right now she needs to give a talk with Beedrill. With her mind set, she walked over to the two bug types. The practise match stopped and Beedrill flew in front of her.

"Hey Beedrill, not having much luck with this whole thing?" Serena asked. Beedrill nodded clearly upset. He isn't much of a coordinating Pokemon from what he's found but he really likes Serena and doesn't want to let her down. "It's okay, Beedrill. I need to find Kadabra so take a break but once I'm done we can work together.". Beedrill nodded in agreement and flew off to clear his head. Serena smiled before she started to look for her pure Psychic type.

Beedrill was flying across the beach as he tried to remember everything Venomoth told him and was shown by Shauna's two Pokemon. Sigh, this isn't good, he was Serena's first caught Pokemon and other than Delphox has been with her for the longest time. If she wants to become a coordinator he wants to support her fully but he just isn't built for Contests. Maybe he would only hold her and his team mates back.

As he was flying he noticed that he had gone far away from the group, guess whilst in his thoughts he went further than intended. He was about to turn around and go back when something caught his eye. It was like a small marble had washed up out of the sea. It was like he was drawn towards it and he went to investigate.

Using his two stingers, Beedrill picked the stone up and looked at it. It seems to be a sort of marble but with a flame design in the centre. The marble is see-through but the flame consists of two colours, yellow and black.

"Greetings, my child. If you have found this, it means you are one of my chosen one's Pokemon or his life partner's." A voice appeared in Beedrill's head. This freaked the bug poison type out. "I can see, you are one of his partner's Pokemon. That does not matter as both you and your trainer will be supporting him in times of need and thus I present you with this gift. Neither your trainer nor anyone else know about this until she can wield the ability to unleash both its and yourselves true power. Just keep it safe and you will know when you should reveal it... Goodbye and good luck on your travels with them.".

Okay, that was creepy. Whoever that voice was, it seemed to know about Beedrill, Serena and Ash. But who is this chosen one he was on about? Could it be Ash, that is the name the dinosaur refers to him as and he is Serena's boyfriend. It would match up. Still, the words he heard did help him. While not convinced about the talk of supporting Ash along with Serena but he does know he is Serena's partner, she is his trainer and he has no interest in leaving her side. So, what if he can't do contests, she has always been nice to him and helped him get over anger issues when he first evolved. Whatever this stone is, and whatever that special power is supposed to be released doesn't matter to the Poison Bee Pokemon, he will keep it as a reminder, one to remind him that no matter what he won't leave his trainers side... Besides, Serena wouldn't let him leave without a fight. He has an awesome trainer.

Putting the marble under his wings for safety, Beedrill started to fly back to the group. He may not be built for contests but he will train at them to help Serena in anyway necessary. Who knows, maybe he can pick up a contest skill or two as time goes on.

Back with Serena, it didn't take long for her to find out where Kadabra went off to, due to a powerful explosion from a bunch of rocks. It wouldn't take a genius to know it was caused by a Pokemon training. Serena went to investigate and found Kadabra destroy giant boulders with his Psychic attack. While certainly strong, it wasn't showing off any sort of appeal. Kadabra isn't an idiot and knew his trainer was watching. As the last boulder crumbled onto the beach, he teleported in front of her.

"Dabra?" Kadabra asked.

"I was worried Kadabra, I looked around and couldn't see you." Serena answered. She might not understand a Pokemon's native tongue like Ash can but she knows her own Pokemon well enough to know what they mean. "Your Psychic was really strong. You've been training whilst at the lab, right?".

"Kadabra." Kadabra nodded to answer the question. It may seem like he is strict but he is just a serious Pokemon by nature. He doesn't mean anything by it, and Serena understands, he is a no nonsense, or beat around the bush sort of Mon. As such, Serena needs to be the same with him.

"But that didn't look much like a contest move. What's the matter Kadabra?" Serena asked clearly to upset. While she is excited to give contests a try, she would hate to think she is forcing her Pokemon to do something they don't want to. Of course, Delphox, Eevee, Farfetch'd and Kabuto are really enjoying themselves. Plus, Serena is sure her other Pokemon like, Tangela, Seadra, Kangashkan and Seel would also enjoy contests but Kadabra is another matter.

"Dabra, Kadabra." Kadabra replied.

"Your saying you can't bring yourself to waste time on making moves appealing and only want to get stronger?" Serena asked with a sigh. Kadabra nodded his head to show his answer to Serena's question. "If you don't want to do contests Kadabra, that's okay. I won't make you do something you're not comfortable with.".

"Kadabra." Kadabra replied.

"It's okay, Kadabra. But I am still going to compete in contests, the others are really enjoying this and I think I will as well." Serena explained. She doesn't want to try and trick him but he should know what her plans are. "I don't know if we can do stuff together apart from training.".

"Kadabra Dabra, Kadabra, Dabra Kadabra." Kadabra explained. He doesn't want to be selfish and make Serena change her plans just for him, she is doing the right thing by not making him compete in contests so he will be here to support her. If she needs someone to battle, not just to show off, he will be her Mon.

"Thanks, Kadabra." Serena smiled and engulfed her psychic type in a hug. Kadabra reluctantly returned the gesture. It's not that he doesn't like Serena, it is just the fact that he is very serious by nature and thus showing affection isn't really his thing. As the hug ended, Serena noticed the area Kadabra was training in had a mountain of crumbled up rocks, at least twenty boulders were destroyed in the pile. "Now why don't you take a rest, you have been working hard. Not to mention I need to speak with Beedrill as well.".

"Dabra." Kadabra nodded and happily let Serena return him to his Pokeball.

Once she clipped her Psychic types Pokeball back to her belt, Serena made her way to the beach where she found Beedrill waiting patiently. She sighed as she would probably need to do the same with Beedrill as what she did with Kadabra. It pains her as they are not only her Pokemon but her friends and she would've loved to compete in contests with them. Although she could never force them to do something they are not comfortable with.

"Hey Beedrill." Serena called out to her bug poison type as she approached. She was surprised when Beedrill made a b-line flight and engulfed her with a hug, which she happily returned. The surprising thing is, Beedrill hasn't been one to show affection since evolving. Sure, she helped him get over his anger issues after evolving but their relationship has always been one of Pokemon and trainer. Beedrill has never been one for the lovey-dovey stuff.

"Bee Bee." Beedrill explained which confused Serena.

"Your saying that you want to help me win contests?" Serena asked. "I just told Kadabra that he didn't need to compete in them if he doesn't want to, and I was going to say the same to you. I don't want to make you do something you're not comfortable with.".

"Beedrill, Bee Beedrill, Bee." Beedrill explained.

"Your saying that I'm not forcing you and you want to help me in contests?" Serena asked. "It's just that you're not good with them at the minute, so you want to double down on the training so we are ready for when it is time to compete?". Beedrill nodded his head in agreement with his trainer's statements.

"How about we have a proper contest battle than, Serena." Shauna suggested as she and her Ivysaur and Venomoth approached them.

Serena dared a glance at her Farfetch'd who was sat by himself sulking. It is pretty obvious that Ivysaur beat the normal flying type which wouldn't sit well with the wild duck. Of course, in a contest battle, it doesn't matter who has the type advantage, a lot of time it comes down to the most experienced and this was Farfetch'd first time trying that sort of battle.

"Sure, what do you say Beedrill?" Serena asked her first caught Pokemon.

"Bee Bee!" Beedrill cheered and entered a battle stance.

After a hard day of training both groups decided to retire to the Pokemon centre. Surprisingly, both groups appeared at the same time. Drake and Misty went ahead to the cafeteria while the Kalos trio entered the centre to discuss their previous disagreement. This left Ash and Serena out by themselves.

"Hi..." Serena greeted once they were alone.

"Hey... How did the contest go?" Ash asked.

"Oh, good." Serena smiled. "Shauna won her fourth ribbon and we got to give it a try ourselves afterwards.".

"That's good." Ash smiled. He frowned when he saw his girlfriend upset. "Hey, what's the matter?".

"It's just that Kadabra doesn't like contests at all." Serena explained. "I told him he doesn't need to compete if he doesn't want to but it just won't feel right if one of my Pokemon is only training and I am not doing stuff with him.".

"Don't worry about it, Serena. Not every Pokemon is going to like the same things. Remember our first date, with the tag team tournament?" Ash asked. Serena nodded her head. "Well I am sure there will be small tournaments like that no matter where we go, you could always use Kadabra and any other Pokemon who don't like contests. You'll still be a team and that won't change.".

"Thanks Ash." Serena smiled. He is right, Kadabra might not like contests but he is still her Pokemon. They can enter other battle tournaments together. She moved forward and engulfed Ash in a hug.

"Arg!" Ash cried out in pain.

"Ash! What's the matter!?" Serena asked in a panick as Ash ended the hug and looked in pain. He sheepishly grinned at his girlfriend, he was hoping he could keep what Sandslash did secret as she can be as scary as his mum when he's in danger.

"Hehehe, remember when I told you I planned on training with Sandslash?" Ash asked with a sheepish grin and light chuckle.

Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...