'I don't understand it and yet... I know I cannot deny how my heart feels. It cries for you, it calls your name when it feels so very alone without me even realizing it. That is why I cry without wanting to, it's my heart yelling for you in the pit of loneliness I trapped it in. All the while I try to ignore it, believing I've left it behind as a forgotten dream. You and I... yes that was just a dream... Right?"
After being saved I was sent to my room by Miss Mayor in order to recover from the disaster of earlier however, before I left Ash had ran off into the woods, spouting some nonsense about having to catch a Pumkaboo before time's up. Of course, the contest was cancelled due to the disaster but at the same time all the other Knights managed to capture a Pumkaboo so I guess Ash thought it was only right for him to catch one too, even though he was badly injured. He just didn't know of the word quit which was a very admirable trait but at the same time doing things so recklessly will only end up hurting him worse than he already was.
Ash is strong, I know this, but I can't help but worry. As I sit in my room, a new dress on to replace the one ripped in the attack Miss Mayor enters my room with her Electross floating behind her with a crown in its hand. She sits next to me, noticing my worried and confused expression and tries to bring me ease. "Well, thanks to Phantom and the Organizers' pokemon no one in the stands were seriously injured... beyond a few cuts and light burns and we're currently rebuilding the stands. With any luck we'll be able to resume our festival this afternoon..." Her Electross, which she named Choque, floats over to me and comforts me by snuggling up against me. It may not have been the prettiest pokemon ever but it was very sweet and caring. Even so there was a question on my mind I needed to have answered.
"Miss Mayor... you knew about me and Ash didn't you...? That's why you didn't want to tell me his name back at the Showcase hall..."
I could hear her sigh softly as she realized there was no use in hiding it any longer.
"Yes dearie... I did know... You see..." She looks up at the roof, recalling the events, "He arrived shortly after you ran off and at first I didn't pay him mind but... then I heard him speak to his Pikachu about finding you it perked my interest... I noticed he was covered in sweat and breathing heavily, only to find out he had ran the entire road from the last town to catch up with you... So I, being a sucker for romance stories, decided to help him out..."
"You... gave him the idea for entering to become the festival Prince... didn't you?"
"Not only that darling... I also gave him that cloak and told him not to interact directly with you or speak... but it seems Ash's hero complex made it impossible for him to resist. After all, at the showcase he noticed before any of us that you were completely drained from your competition because he knows you well... and managed to catch you when you tripped because he had kept an eye on you. He even risked getting discovered by telling your assistants you needed to rest during the festival dance..."
"..."
I was silent, petting Choque as I try to think about everything happening right now. I had believed that I had left it all in the past, it was set and done and yet... when I saw Ash's face after he saved me I couldn't hold back my tears or cries of joy... it was almost as If my heart had released all of my bottled up feelings at once. If that's so then that meant I never really left that dream behind... it just meant I had locked it away where I could no longer see it and convince myself it didn't exist at all.
"Miss Mayor... I thought... I had moved on from him... that I had abandoned the hope of being more than another friend in his eyes and yet he's here right now... suffering through horrible pain for my sake... pushing himself to his limits. Should I let that dream come back when... I thought I had left it behind...? I mean, what if he's only doing this because he feels guilt for the pain I inflicted on myself? Risking the dream again might end up hurting me more if that's so... and worse... it'll end up hurting him too..."
"... You truly are the perfect person to be the princess..." I turn to face Miss Mayor, a bit surprised by her seemly very off topic response. "You've endured many pains and have very real fears of what to do yet... through all that you care more about hurting Ash than yourself... A truly wonderful person. Yes, I can understand how you feel Serena. You're unsure whether to risk your love again like you did when you started your journey... and yes, sometimes reviving things lost in the past may lead to horrible things as doing so means you never move on... But dearie, I don't think your dream was left behind too start with... it was just scattered in pieces lingering in your heart. The risks of putting those pieces together is real... and it can be frightening... but here's a question for you my dear... What does your heart want? It sounds Cliché I know... but Ash really is a wonderful boy and if it were me I would be willing to risk pain for him."
As always, before I could give my two pokecoins on the subject there was a knock at my door with Maple's voice following it, interrupting my attempt to speak. "Miss Mayor, the Stands have been repaired and all the Knights are ready to proceed. The trials will continue upon your word ma'am."
"Ah! Excellent~!" She stands, offering her hand to me as her Electross places the crown it had upon my head," Let us go Princess, after all you are the one who decides the finalists for the third trial... Ready?" Softly I took her hand, standing up, "Yes, let's go"
Like before I was whisked away by chariot to the place the trial was now held. Due to the disaster the stands were rebuilt in a different location that seemed to be more open than the previous one with a larger area for battling. Here, standing on ten slightly elevated pedestals were the ten Knights, each having Pumkaboo out in front of them for me to judge. On the very end I find Ash, now free of his cloak and wearing his regular clothing. I could see several bandages on him, covering his many wounds that had been inflicted on him by him saving me. Approaching my booth I awaited my cue, looking at all the Pumkaboo from afar.
"Welcome back to the continuation of the Second Trial my good ma'ams and sirs! With all of our Knights here it is time for our Princess to choose the best of the group... from those she chooses the Knights will do battle only with their Pumkaboo and the victor shall share in the honor of being crowded Festival Royalty alongside our lovely princess Serena!"
Being as most of the people from before where hurt the spectators for this round was a bit less than before However, there were still those many who were diehard fans of the festival and came despite their injuries. They cheered loud and proud as I stand and give the crowd a light bow to show respect.
"We shall have the Knights present their Pumkaboo one by one... and from this group of ten only four will proceed! The Princess shall choose the Largest, Smallest, Cutest and scariest of the Pokemon so without further ado! Will Knight one please step forward!?"
Of course, all the Pumkaboo had something rather unique about them so it was difficult to choose just four. A Boy named Rave won for cutest as he had managed to find a shiny Pumkaboo and I couldn't resist its sparkly charm. For scariest I choose this odd looking Pumkaboo that had misshaped tummy eye holes which were more slanted than normal. I believed his name was Butch or something along those lines. Largest went to a boy named Michel as he had caught one so massive he could likely ride around on it!
Finally came the smallest... and that prize went to Ash as his Pumkaboo was so tiny it was almost as small as my head. Apparently Ash had discovered the little guy under some rubble of the fallen stands and helped it. In return for his kindness the Pumkaboo agreed to go and help Ash with this Trial which put him where he is now. My only concern was whether or not the little guy would suffice for battling as now that the second trial was done the third would begin without pause. As the Knights who didn't make the cut were escorted from the battle field Miss Mayor approached the victorious boys, clapping joyfully for them.
"Congratulations Knights! You've all done well to make it this far! However, from this point only one of you will win... and how will you win you might wonder... Well in an all-out battle royal! All of you will battle at the same time and take each other out, no holds bar!"
I of course watched carefully, awaiting anxiously for everything to start. To be honest, even after all this time I still didn't know what I should do. Should I take the chance and let my heart have as it wants? After all, what'll happen once I meet Ash's other friends... will I get jealous again? Does Ash actually love me or is this all out of guilt... I guess I'll just have to wait and see since I had no other choice. My involvement in choosing my Prince was done... or so I believed.
A battle soon unleashed itself upon the field as all four Pumkaboo went out in an all-out brawl. The largest one was targeted first as everyone assumed that one would be the biggest threat with its size... well everyone except Ash who instructed his Pumkaboo to remain as far from the conflict as possible. At first I assumed it was so the little thing wouldn't be knocked out right away but it turns out it was for a totally different reason all together which I soon discovered as the other two Pumkaboo quickly disposed of the larger one, using a flurry of shadow balls to crush it. Suddenly, out of nowhere one of attacking Pumkaboo, the one dubbed as the most frightening fainted.
"Destiny bond... thought if I couldn't win then I would at least take someone down with me!" says Michel as he recalls his Pumkaboo into its ball, shining a smirk Butch as he too recalled his Pumkaboo.
"Meh, maybe next year"
Now only Ash and Rave remained, the Shiny vs the Tiny. Of course, I sat at the edge of my seat, watching as the two Pumkaboo circled each other slowly. Shiny had taken some damage from assaulting the larger Pumkaboo while Tiny was as fresh as could be, having sustained no damage at all. Even so, many thought of Ash's Pumkaboo as weak simply because it was so very small, almost like a baby. But I had faith. If Ash choose it then there had to be something special about it right?
"Well well, looks like Mister 'Red' finally took off his cloak. Too bad this competition didn't include charming the Princess then maybe you would have had a chance... But the road ends here for you buddy! Pumkaboo! Use Shadow Ball!" Instantly I stood up, my hands to my heart as I watch the shadow ball head straight for Tiny with a very powerful force. Unknown to me Miss Mayor stood nearby with a soft smile on her face. "It seems you really do care for him Princess dearie... Yes, that boy is a wild spirit..." I heard her but did not reply as I watched the battle begin. I knew as the Princess I shouldn't be bias but it would be a lie if I didn't desire Ash to come out victorious.
Just as the Shadow Ball was about to hit Tiny it suddenly vanishes, leaving the collective spectators staring in awe as the it re-emerged from Shiny's shadow and hits him with critical damage. "Shadow sneak?! B-but a move like that can only be learned by higher level Pumkaboo... " I hear Maple exclaim.
"Yeah, that's right. You shouldn't judge a pokemon by its size... the smaller the pokemon the faster it is dearie... faster pokemon tend to be smarter and much more cunning... so it makes sense such a tiny Pumkaboo would had the an advantage in such a fight dearie... however..." Miss Mayor explained how Ash's Pumkaboo worked, watching the battle closely, "Because it is smaller it's not nearly as powerful as the larger Pumkaboo. Ash can keep delivering small, sneaky attacks like that but if that shiny one managed just one hit it'll be all she wrote..."
Shiny turned to face Tiny, preparing to deliver a powerful shadow ball at it only to have it behave strangely for some reason. Tiny had used confuse Ray to throw off its opponent and escape from the dangerous position it was in. However, confusion can be overcome sometimes and the Shadow ball does launch, hitting Tiny in the back. The damage was not only critical but super effective, seemly leaving the tiny pokemon out for the count. It did try to move but it seemed to low heath to do so. Rave tried to command his Pumkaboo to finish it but in its confusion it kept hurting itself instead.
"Pumkaboo! Hold on! You can't give up now, we're so close! GET UP!" I could see from Ash's expression that he already saw himself defeated. Even from the stands people could hear Ash yell desperately for his Pumkaboo to get up. He didn't want to lose here, he couldn't lose here, that was the mindset he had. He trembled at the thought that he might not be here next to me tonight, it terrified him to no end. I couldn't watch this, it hurt me to see Ash shiver like he did and cry out so desperately to his pokemon... it was just like back at the first gym he challenged in Kalos... just like when I found him again. From here, I could see it as clear as day, he feared not being by me and that fear was real...
"Don't do it, Ash!" I could feel everyone's eyes look at me but I did not care," Don't give up! Weren't you the one who told me that!? DON'T GIVE UP! NOT UNTIL THE VERY END!" My voice echoed throughout the area as Ash stared at me like a Deerling in the headlights. However, soon his stare was broken as his Pokedex vibrated. One swift look at it and a smirk spread across Ash's face, the one he had only when he had a crazy, stupid plan so insane it just might work. "You heard the Princess Pumkaboo! Get up! You can do it!"
Slowly the Pumkaboo rose from the ground, staying shakily in the air as it tried to keep from collapsing again. There was a determined smile upon the pokemon's face as he could feel Ash's drive carry over to him as he too wished not to fail. "Use Pain Split!"
Everyone gasped as they saw the tiny Pumkaboo ram into the larger one, surround itself in a red glow as the damage both endured was split evenly among the two pokemon. Shiny threw Tiny back as it finally shook free from its confusion. Rave grits his teeth as he realizes this attack was the last as did Ash. It was now or never.
"Pumkaboo! Use Shadow ball! FULL POWER!" He commanded, making his pokemon gather power for the ghostly orb of darkness. On Ash's side however, he had a different plan in mind.
"Pumkaboo! Use Foul Play!" Swiftly tiny went in, going to deliver the final blow. AS the two Pumkaboo made contact the Shadow Ball explodes, throwing up dust around the two pokemon and leaving the audience, including myself, in suspense. Ash and Rave both seemed to stare out into the smoke seemly unblinking. However, before either of them could see who had one Miss Mayor Spoke.
"hmm... Maple, bring the rule book... I have a feeling this time around might now be like every other festival..." Maple raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean Ma'am?"
"Just watch and see for yourself, dearie..."
As the smoke clears everyone is shocked to see the result of the battle. On either side, both Pumkaboo laid on their backs out cold.
"It's a Tie?! B-but we've never had a tie before!" cried Maple as she stood from her chair. From the stands you could hear the crowd whispering as to what was going on. Miss Mayor only laughed as she stands up.
"This is why I asked for the rule book but who needs that dusty old thing..."She walks over to me, signaling that I stand in front of my booth as clears her voice and grabs the microphone from Maple, speaking into it. "Will our remaining two Knights please step before the princess please?" Both Ash and Rave look at each other for a moment before approaching me, standing before me.
"Usually, the victor of the Battle Royale would become our fair prince and never before in my life time did we ever have a tie... except once... Back when I was the Princess of this competition. And as the Mayor of my time did I shall also do... let the Princess decide her Prince!"
In that second I felt my heart drop down into my gut as Miss Mayor approaches me with the Prince's crown, a smile upon her face. "M-miss Mayor I can't I-I..."
"Yes you can my dear... It looks like fate is allowing you to choose... use this chance my dear..." She whispers to me as she carefully slips the glittering, golden crown into my shaking hands. Ash and Rave both bow down to one knee, looking down as they both anticipated my decision.
"I know it's scary my dear... love is a terrifying thing... However, you must decide now what your heart really wants. Your body may tremble with fear that will pass. Your mind id racing with thoughts and that will slow but... I have a feeling that the feeling in your heart will not just vanish because...he is a part of it... a part of you. Now you must decide whether or not to accept that piece missing from your heart and complete it or to leave it behind forever... Go, you can do it my dear Serena..."
With those words Miss Mayor backs away from me, leaving me with crown in hand and two boys before me. She was right in what she said. If I choose Ash then I'll be returning to that dream again and allowing the love within me shine brightly... but if I choose Rave that love will be left behind and I'll be left without risk of being so utterly hurt like before.
Two boys, one crown, one future...
With a delay in my steps I approach the boys in front of me, moving as slowly as the time around me seemed to. Seconds seemed like hours to me as did it to the two men before me now, as if time was at a standstill. I left the crown up above, carefully lowering it to the head of the boy I choose...
But...
Who will I Choose?