Hello again, TheEnigmatic97 here. Well, I just got over with writing the future chapters of this story, and it's been so far, so good. With the changes I introduced before I published the previous chapter, I had to ditch a whole chapter. Ditch, as in throw it away. It was scheduled to be the chapter after this one, but I found a better idea to replace it.
Now for a brief summary of this chapter. Well this is just a practice session for Serena's Master Class Performance, well I won't really be going into detail of the whole practice, but the main concepts behind it will be revealed.
So without further ado
P.S. Too many Author's notes IMO
'Dreams'
After the group had their lunch, they went out of the Pokémon Center to an open area so that Serena would be able to proceed with her practice. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie sat down in a nearby bench to watch her. Beforehand, the group sent out their Pokémon to cheer their friends.
-Pokémon Center, Battlefield, 13:02-
"So, what is the concept of your performance?" Clemont asked
"Oh, right." Serena replied "Well, me and Ash were talking about that before the tournament started, and this is the fruit of it."
Serena then brought out two pieces of paper from her bag. She presented to the group one of the sketches which had the artwork of Serena's gown. (A/N: Now don't expect me to describe it since I have no idea how to describe clothing whatsoever. I'm a boy with no taste for fashion.)
"It's so beautiful." Bonnie commented "I can't wait to see the real thing."
"-nene" the hamster-like Pokémon, Dedenne, in her satchel agreed.
"Yeah it is beautiful...hmmm." Clemont said, while trying to observe some details of the sketch.
"If you think that's beautiful, wait 'till you see this." Serena said as she shown another sketch, now depicting her in the gown, dancing on stage with her Pokémon. (A/N: If you watch the Japanese dub of the anime, try to look into the first few scenes of the ending theme DreamDream by Shoko Nakagawa, and you'll know what I mean.)
The rest of the group had the same reaction, well except Ash, who just smiled and thought "Well, I knew she'd go for this."
"Serena, you have a great concept there, but I need to ask, who made these pieces of art?" Clemont wondered as he kept on observing the details of the two sketches.
"Let's just say that...who am I kidding?" Serena replied "Ash made it."
"Wow, Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed "I didn't know you could draw like that."
"Well, if you think that's good." Ash replied as he grabbed a sketch from his bag "Here's a sketch of a Dewgong I made back in Sinnoh." He then shown a sketch of the Sea Lion Pokémon to the group.
"It does look good." Serena commented
The others agreed with Serena, causing Ash to smile and he thought "If you only knew what happened..." (A/N: DP089)
"Now let me explain to you the rest of the details." Serena said as the rest of the group listened attentively.
"The concept for my performance is Dreams. The reason I chose that concept since before I joined you in this journey, I left home without thinking what will I do during my travels, but now I have a reason to go on and reach the top." Serena continued as a blush crept on her face when she thought "If only Ash knew the true reason why I'm doing this."
Ash took it as a signal for him to speak "Well, when I thought of a good concept for Serena's performance, I thought that it would tell the story of her journey as a trainer and a person as a whole, and then she clicked on the idea and went with it."
"We then took as much free time as possible to start practicing." Serena continued
"So that's why you two go missing every once in a while." Clemont said
"I thought you two went on a date." Bonnie commented quite audibly
"BONNIE!" Clemont reacted, but still amused
"I wish it were, Bonnie, I wish it were." Ash and Serena thought.
"Well, with the details explained, let's start." Serena said commencing the practice. "But wait."
"Huh?" Ash wondered
"Where would I play this CD with the music I'll use?" Serena replied
"I guess it's my turn." Clemont smirked
"Oh, here we go again." Bonnie thought
"The FUTURE is NOW, THANKS TO SCIENCE!" Clemont said his signature line "Clemontic Gear ON! I call this the 'Compact Disk Player'" he then revealed a machine having an uncanny resemblance to a conventional CD player, only with some minor additions.
"Brother, you really need to work on your names." Bonnie said "Maybe even originality." she thought
"I have thought of having a situation exactly like this, all you need is to place the CD here, press the play button and go enjoy."
"WOW, Science is so amazing!" Ash exclaimed "But I guess everybody know what'll happen, so I have a back-up CD here." He thought
The music played for about a few seconds, and as the lyrics were now starting to be sung, the player suddenly smoked, and eventually exploded.
"Another failure." Bonnie said as Clemont, on the other hand, puffed out smoke from his mouth.
"Now what am I going to use?" Serena asked worriedly.
"Now don't worry, Serena." Ash replied "I got an extra copy for you."
"You never fail to amaze me Ash." Serena said as she hugged the raven-haired trainer. The action caused both to blush upon realizing what they did and immediately pulled away and faced each other sheepishly.
"I'll just go get a player from Nurse Joy." Bonnie said, breaking the silence.
A few minutes later, Serena was now able to proceed with her practice. She ran down with the programme she prepared which contained a few somersaults, lifts, dance steps, and a lot of Pokémon moves. The rest of the group served as judges to see if there is a need for a few changes and additions to the routine.
When they were practicing with the last part of the routine, Delphox suddenly shot her with a flamethrower to the face, but instead of getting frustrated and let the time bomb in her explode, she was just calm, and took it as a mere accident.
"Serena, you have to get those burns treated." Ash said in worry
"I'm fine, Ash." Serena replied while trying to resist the pain.
"You have to suspend the practice, Serena." Ash countered "You need to rest for a bit."
"Yeah, Serena. You don't have to worry about your Pokémon also." Clemont agreed
"We'll watch over them while you get your treatment." Bonnie suggested
"I guess this will do the trick." Ash thought "I'll escort you to Nurse Joy if you want." He said causing Serena to change her stance.
"Okay, Ash." Serena replied "He's just concerned. Nothing new, Serena."
Ash then escorted Serena to the counter, and eventually stayed with her throughout the treatment, which lasted for about an hour. During this hour, Ash went into his thoughts last night, trying to stitch together the pieces, and coming into a conclusion. "I guess it won't hurt telling her." He thought
"She's now treated, Ash" Nurse Joy said
"I told you that I'm fine" Serena insisted "but Ash, thank you for staying with me."
"Anytime, Serena." He replied as they went back to the battlefield, not knowing that they were holding hands.
When they returned to the Battlefield, everyone stared at the two, probably, something with the two.
"What's with the weird stare?" Serena asked
"Umm... Serena, our hands." Ash whispered while blushing.
Serena then looked at their intertwined hands, and blushed also at the sight. A few seconds after, they let go of each other, causing a level of disappointment.
"So, anyone up for dinner?" Clemont finally breaking the silence
"I'm hungry." Ash replied
"As usual." Serena thought.
The siblings and the Pokémon then returned to the Pokémon Center. The two stayed outside for a bit before entering. During that time, they exchange some words.
"Serena?" Ash said
"Yes, Ash?" She replied
"I was wondering, if...if..."
"If?"
"We could talk tonight?"
"Why?"
"I need to tell you something."
Now, there's the fourth chapter. I tried to insert hints, and hopefully it did not destroy the flow of the chapter. I also tried to reference Ash's ability to draw, and it kinda went well. So yeah, there's not much of the practice here, but the details of the performance were revealed.
What's coming up the next chapter? It's pretty much implied, and I won't tell anything much about it.
I've also set up a poll on my profile regarding the league challenge of Ash. The question goes "Who do you want Ash to face last in the Elite Four in "From Mere Feelings and onwards"? Now take note that this will also determine the order of the league. The one with the least votes will be the first, and obviously, the one with the most will be the last.
I am also accepting team suggestions via PM given that Pikachu, and one of Ash's Kalos Team Pokémon are included.
If you like, you may want to leave a review also.
With my scholarship papers being done and enrollment for my third year in college coming, the updating pace of this story may slow down, so I would like to apologize in advance, but I do promise that this story won't be ditched. I'll try to add chapters every once in a while.
So there we go, TheEnigmatic97 here, peace!