One hour after May's arrival, all three girls were seated at a quiet, isolated table in a fancy restaurant downtown. Lisia had insisted that they needed privacy for the important discussion they were about to have, not wanting any of the details of the group to leak to the press. Serena wasn't sure that such secrecy was necessary, but she did have to admit that Lisia and May sitting at the same table, discussing business, would attract more than a little attention.

Serena had finished a light but delicious lunch, which had easily outclassed the Pokémon Center food she had grown accustomed to. Both she and Lisia were sitting back and relaxing, taking a moment to let their stomachs digest. May, incredibly, was still eating. She had already downed a bowl of soup and a large salad, and was now munching on a plate of croquettes. May had warned the other two about her large appetite already, but Serena was still astonished to see it in action. Where did all of that food even go?

"Okay, so." Lisia sat up, resting her arms on the table. "May, you know all about idol groups, right? Serena's a newbie."

May nodded, swallowing her bite of food. "Sure I do. I grew up here. I see them all the time."

"Good, I don't have to explain." Lisia sat up again, her back straight, and her voice took on a more authoritative tone. "You're both used to being in the spotlight, right? You know how to behave when everyone is watching you?"

"You mean when we're on a stage?" Serena asked.

Lisia shook her head. "No. Well, yes, but not just that. I mean all the time. If this takes off like I think it will, we're going to have the eyes of the public on us all the time. People will watch us when we walk by on the street. Fans will stop us and ask for autographs and pictures. The paparazzi will constantly be hounding us for interviews or trying to get candid photos of us. You have to always be on when you're in public, all the time. Never let your guard down. Can both of you handle that?"

Serena blinked, taken aback by Lisia's suddenly serious demeanor. This felt like a totally different person from the energetic, bubbly, affectionate girl that Serena had shared a contest stage with. After a moment, she came to her senses and nodded. "Yes, I can." May voiced her agreement with a short grunt, as she swallowed another bite of food.

"Good," Lisia responded. "There isn't much to it. It takes more energy than normal, but there aren't too many rules you have to remember." She started counting on her fingers as she began to recite her rules. "Always be smiling. You don't need to smile when you're just walking down the street, but when someone's talking to you, smile and be positive. We're here to light up Hoenn and put smiles on faces, and that starts with us."

Serena nodded in agreement and understanding. Bringing happiness to others was her whole reason for pursing her performance dream in the first place. She knew how magical a smile could be, and she was eager and willing to spread positivity throughout Hoenn. She kept listening as Lisia went on.

"You don't have to talk to everyone on the street who wants to talk to you, but a quick smile and wave goes a long way. If they keep pestering you, you can just walk away. That goes double for the press. Saying 'no comment' is a full answer. You don't need to act like an airhead to get out of questions. Keep yourself looking good if anyone can see you, even through a window - and paparazzi will try to photograph you through windows. Keep your blinds closed."

"Makes sense to me," May spoke.

"Mhmm, me too," Serena agreed.

"Good!" Lisia was sounding more cheerful already. "An idol isn't too different from any other celebrity. You just need to make sure you represent the brand well. When you're out in public, make sure you maintain your persona, though your persona should just be your normal self. If the fans ask for a signature move or a catchphrase, give it to them once and then move on. Try to always look good. Stay trendy, stay fresh, stay fashionable. No badmouthing people, especially not other idols. No dating, especially not in public. No acting fake. Just put on your best self."

Serena's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, back up. No dating?"

"Right, basic stuff," May said.

"What do you mean, basic?" Serena turned to look at May incredulously. "I've never heard of this. Why aren't idols supposed to date anyone? That makes no sense."

"So…" Lisia began, before immediately pausing. She steepled her fingers as she tried to come up with the right words. "An idol in Hoenn isn't just your everyday celebrity. We're not just giving people good music or a great performance. We're giving people a fantasy. We're giving them an escape. And when we do that, we can become something bigger than ourselves. Almost like a mythical figure, like a legendary Pokémon. And for a lot of people, seeing an idol romantically involved with someone… breaks that illusion. We're not offering that fantasy anymore."

"Especially for the guys," May added offhandedly. Lisia shot her a quick glare.

Serena grimaced. "I'm not sure how I feel about that… I don't want people looking at me like I'm not a person." She looked back and forth between her two companions. "What's the worst that could happen if we break the illusion or whatever?"

Lisia and May turned toward each other, their eyes meeting as they wordlessly debated how much they should share. Serena watched them curiously until May spoke up.

"There was this up-and-coming idol in Hoenn a year or so ago," she began, a bit hesitant. "She was part of a really popular idol group, and she was starting to come into her own. Lots of fans, lots of appearances… she was turning into one of Hoenn's top celebrities. But then it came out that she was dating a Pokémon Coordinator, and a lot of her fans, well… turned on her. They booed her at shows, harassed her on the street, sent her mail that… well." She cut herself off as she saw the color draining from Serena's face, and sank into her chair.

"She ended up leaving her idol group," Lisia continued. "She tried to have a solo career afterward, but no companies would sign her, no venues would book her… none of them wanted to 'deal with the controversy'." She made air-quote gestures with her fingers as she spoke. "She works at Pokémon Centers now, assisting Nurse Joys."

"That's… that's horrible!" Serena exclaimed, her shock giving way to anger. "All that because of some broken fantasy? That's not fair!"

"It is unfair," May agreed. "But that's just how it is."

"Honestly, it's a moot point anyway," Lisia added. "If we really take off, you're going to be too busy to date anyone. We all are." She locked eyes with Serena. "Now that you know that, are you still in?"

Serena folded her arms and sat back, a grimace still sitting upon her face. The glamour of being an idol was already fading before her career had even begun. After a few seconds of deep contemplation, she gave Lisia a short nod. "Yes, I'm still in."

"Great!" Lisia cheered, her voice suddenly filled with its usual energy. "Trust me, there's way more good than bad about being an idol. You're going to love it, I promise!"

"I hope so," Serena replied, forcing a smile back onto her face.

"We all will, I bet," May added. "I can't remember ever having the chance to work with other talented coordinators like you two. This is going to be great!"

"I've had the chance to perform with other top performers before," Serena replied, her smile morphing from forced to genuine. "It's a great experience, especially when you can make lots of people smile."

"That's the idea!" Lisia jumped in, clapping her hands together. "So if we're going to do this, we've got a lot we need to figure out. We have the basic idea, but we need to get all the details worked out." She looked back and forth at the other two girls. "I want to hammer out our roles. Who's going to be the center? Who will sing lead?"

"Not me, that's for sure," Serena muttered, somewhat bitterly.

"Yeah… probably not me, either," May conceded. "Are you up for it, Lisia?"

"No problem," Lisia answered, sounding completely unsurprised by this development. "I can get us in touch with some songwriters who can work with us." She clasped her hands together and pointed her index fingers toward Serena. "You have the most experience performing and dancing with Pokémon, Serena. I think you should take point with choreography. What do you think?"

Serena nodded confidently. "Sure! I'll do my best!"

"Great! You can work together with May on that. She knows what my Altaria can do."

May's eyebrows raised. "Aren't you going to join in?"

"I will if I can, but I'm going to be busy as our manager," Lisia answered matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you'll be managing us?" It was Serena's turn to be surprised. "Why can't we get someone else as a manager?"

"What do we need that for?" Lisia sat up and gestured to herself. "I've been my own manager for ages and it's worked out great. I know what audiences like, and I'm an expert at cultivating a brand, if I do say so myself."

Serena nodded slowly, a bit dumbstruck at the Lisia that sat across from her. She had assumed that Lisia's fame came from having the former champion Wallace as her uncle, but hidden underneath Lisia's bubbly personality was a savvy businesswoman, with her fingertips on the pulse of Hoenn. Her respect for the girl had grown sharply since the three of them had sat down for lunch.

"Speaking of our brand." Lisia sat her hands down on the table. "We need to decide what we're going to look like! All of the big idol groups have really distinctive looks. We need a uniform."

"Uniform…" Serena's eyes flicked upward briefly, as an image flashed through her mind.

May smirked at the expression on Serena's face. "You just imagined all of us in school uniforms, didn't you?"

"I…!" Serena's cheeks turned pink as she stammered out her response. "I didn't… necessarily… do that!"

Lisia giggled. "That's everyone's reaction. Don't worry, we're going to come up with something much more fashionable than that. I mean, look at you now! Did you put that together yourself?"

"I did!" Serena sat up, her chest puffing out proudly, as she glanced down at her turtleneck and skirt combination. "I found this while browsing shops in Slateport City. I thought it would go well with my new hairstyle."

"It does, for sure." May smiled at Serena, resting her chin in her palms with her elbows on the table. Serena felt her smile grow wider.

"Well then, let's see what we can find here in Lilycove!" Lisia stood up, placing a hefty sum of money on the center of their table, enough to cover everyone's meals. "Come on! We're going to hit up the best clothing store in town. Let's get inspired!" The other two stood up and followed after her, walking side by side, filled with nervous excitement for the day ahead of them.


One hour later, Serena was rifling through a rack of expensive clothes on the sixth floor of a major department store. She flicked through one piece after another, trying to find the one top that would satisfy the vision she'd formed in her mind. Soon, her eyes lit up as she found what she was looking for, and she pulled out a long-sleeved black blouse with red accents. She placed the blouse carefully in a basket that was set by her feet, which was practically overflowing with clothes, before picking the basket up and making her way back to the dressing rooms.

After the three aspiring idols had arrived at the department store, Lisia had tasked each of them with finding five outfits that they would want to perform in. Once they had made their choices, they would reconvene and model their chosen outfits for each other. Lisia called it a miniature "fashion show", while May had called it a "montage", which made Serena giggle. Now, with her five outfits chosen, Serena was ready to get the show on the road.

Walking to the back of the store, she saw Lisia and May already waiting for her. She gave them a quick wave. "Hey! Have you guys been waiting long?"

"Not that long," May answered. "Lisia only got here a few minutes ago."

"Did you find everything you wanted?" Lisia asked, her eyes moving to Serena's basket.

"Mhmm, I think so." Serena looked down at her basket as well, recreating her outfits in her memory. "I went for a bunch of different styles. Even if we don't like these, maybe one of them will inspire us to do something else."

"Good thinking, Serena." Lisia gestured toward the dressing room door in front of them. "Well, you're already standing. Want to start us off?"

Serena grinned and slipped into the stall, drawing the curtain shut behind her. She knelt down next to her basket and dug into an outfit she had slipped into the middle, wanting to start out with a bold choice. She changed as quickly as she could, sliding into a sleeveless pink shirt, a denim vest, and a matching denim skirt. She finished by pulling on a pair of long polka-dot socks and sliding a pink bow into her hair. Fully dressed, she pulled the curtain with a flourish.

"Ta-da!" She struck a pose, leaning on one leg and sliding her fingers into her hair. "What do you think?"

"Hmm…" May leaned forward, looking over Serena's clothes with a conflicted expression. "It's a great outfit, but is it a great idol outfit?"

"Maybe for another group," Lisia added. "It's got attitude, but I don't think we want attitude. I don't want us to intimidate anyone."

Serena frowned, disappointed, but nodded in eventual agreement. "Yeah, I guess not." She stepped away from the curtain as May stood up, taking her own basket into the stall and closing the curtain. Serena took a seat and waited until May reemerged, wearing a nearly floor-length pink dress with a billowing skirt, with a short white vest. Her hair had been styled into two loose pigtails, tied up with pink bows.

"How about this?" she asked, spreading her arms and her smile.

"Hm… it's cute, and it's closer to the kind of vibe we want to give off," Lisia commented. She glanced to her side. "What do you think, Serena?"

"It's definitely cute," Serena replied, her eyes focused on May's ankles. "But I don't know about the long skirt. If we're going to be dancing on stage, a floor-length skirt restricts the kind of things we can do. It would be better if we could move our legs freely."

May nodded, appearing to take Serena's judgment well. "Well, you're the choreographer." She looked down at her basket. "That knocks out one of my other outfits, though…"

"Show it to us anyway," Lisia suggested. "We can shorten dresses if we need to. Whatever we wear, we'll have it custom-made to fit us anyway. We'll stick a pin in this one, too."

She stood up and slid past May to enter the dressing room, emerging a few minutes later in an attractive, short-sleeved, striped one-piece with long pants. Both Serena and May agreed that they weren't a fan of the long pants, and Lisia dropped the idea without argument. Serena was next, and after a quick change, she emerged in a sleeveless white top with a long shirttail, paired with a short red-and-yellow skirt. The outfit was completed with a pair of long white gloves, and pink-and-yellow flowers slid into her hair on either side of her head.

"How about this?" she offered, resting her hands on either side of the dressing room stall. She could see May's eyes immediately light up.

"Wow! That's really cute! I like that!" she exclaimed, speaking up without hesitation.

Serena felt her face heating up, her smile growing from ear to ear. "You think so?"

"Yeah! I think that's a good choice!"

"I don't know," Lisia jumped in. "It feels a little like… put a baton in your hand and it's like you're leading a parade."

Serena cocked her head. "Is that bad?"

"There are already a couple of other idol groups who have a similar style going on," Lisia answered. "It's not great if we want to stand out."

"Mm… I guess not." Serena sighed. "Still, I think it's cute." She walked over to her chair, grabbing her phone and holding it out at the end of her arm to take a picture of herself. "At least I got to see myself in it. I can't really afford expensive clothes like this."

Lisia smiled reassuringly. "Well, you'll be able to afford them once we start making waves." May nodded in agreement as she stepped into the dressing room stall, taking one more look at Serena before closing the curtain.

Forty-five minutes later, the fashion show had ended without a proper conclusion. Fifteen outfits had come and gone between the three girls, and they had failed to come to an agreement on a single one. A couple of them had been set aside as "maybe", but they were still waiting for the one magical outfit that would tie everything together.

"Well, this was a bust," May mumbled.

"It was still fun, though," Serena offered. "It's been a while since I was able to just try on outfits like that."

"This wasn't a bust!" Lisia exclaimed, almost sounding offended. "We found out what doesn't work and got closer to the kind of impression we want to give. This is progress."

Serena sat back and closed her eyes. Lisia's sentiment was nice, but she was hoping to get out of today with a better idea of what their group would look like. She wanted a more vivid daydream of herself up on stage with May, Lisia and their Pokémon.

"Our Pokémon…" she muttered contemplatively, her eyes opening.

"Hm?" The other two girls turned to face her.

"That's what we're missing." Serena sat up. "That's how we're standing out, isn't it? We'll be singing and dancing and performing with our Pokémon. We need to lean into that." She reached into her bag, pulling out a notebook and a small set of colored pencils. "May, what Pokémon will you be performing with?"

"Oh, uh… my Glaceon, probably?" May answered. Serena nodded and flipped to a clean page in her notebook, taking out some pencils and starting to sketch. The other two leaned in curiously, watching as she rendered a long-sleeved, short-skirted dress, colored in icy blue. She drew in a handful of sparkles around the outfit to indicate a glittery sheen.

"Ta-da!" She turned the notebook around and showed her sketch to the other two girls. "What do you think? Each of us wears an outfit based on our Pokémon. It leans into our theme, and it gives each of us a distinct look and personality."

May's eyebrows raised as she looked over her potential outfit. "That could work…" She turned to face Lisia, optimism in her eyes. "You already have an outfit based on your Altaria, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." She reached out and took the notebook from Serena's hands, looking over the sketch more carefully. "Hm… Serena, you'll be using your Sylveon? Or maybe Delphox?"

"One of those two, yeah."

Lisia hummed as she mulled this option over. "There's a question of color balance, if two of us are blue… but we could adjust one of these one way or another… hmm… this could definitely work. Let's roll with this for now and see how it turns out." She handed the sketch back to Serena. "We'll probably need professional help making these. I'll need to call up a few people, but I was going to do that anyway."

She stood up and clapped her hands. "Okay! I think we're done for today. It's getting late and I've got some calls to make." She kneeled down next to her basket and picked through the discarded clothes. "But first, I'm going to add some of these cuties to my wardrobe."

May grinned and dove into her basket, thinking the same thing. Serena looked down at her own selection of outfits, reaching down and turning over one of the price tags with a grimace. As a Kalos transplant who only recently entered the Master Class of Pokémon Contests, she was not exactly swimming in cash the way that Lisia and May apparently were. She had enough for her basic needs, but splurging on expensive clothes in a high-end department store was a bit out of her price range, especially if she was going to be staying in Lilycove City long-term like Lisia was.

She put a smile on her face as she stood up, basket in hand. "I guess I'll grab a quick bite to eat and then crash. See you both tomorrow?"

"Yep!" Lisia confirmed. "I'll call you."

Serena nodded and waved at both of them as she stepped away. She walked back to the counter and handed over her clothes to be returned to their racks, before taking the busy elevator down to the first floor. She stepped outside into the streets of Lilycove City, which were as populated as they always were, even as the sun was approaching the horizon.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, reeling from what had been a more demanding day than she had anticipated. She wasn't bothered at all by spending hours looking for an idol outfit; on most days, that was a recreational activity for her. Discovering Lisia's intense businesswoman side had been a surprise, but it seemed like she would be shouldering much of the burden of getting their idol group off the ground, so Serena wasn't complaining.

Learning about the dangers of being an idol, however, had been a different story. Having to deal with increased fame and danger was one thing, but she was still spooked by the idea of a legion of demanding, potentially vengeful fans creating unhealthy relationships with her while she was on stage. She didn't want to say and do the wrong thing and end up with half of Hoenn beating down her door.

She was wrenched out of her thoughts by a gentle tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned to her left to see May standing there with a smirk on her face. "Did I scare you?"

Serena exhaled. "No, I'm fine, just… was thinking."

"Nervous, huh?"

Serena nodded. "A little bit, yeah."

"Me, too," May admitted. "This is going to be bigger than anything I've ever done, potentially. It's kind of scary. But I feel better knowing that you and Lisia are going to be there with me." She offered Serena another magical smile. "We'll all shoulder the burden together."

Serena smiled back, her heart beating a bit faster to chase her worries away. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, May. I'm still really looking forward to this."

"So am I. But anyway…" She reached into the bag she was holding and pulled out a rectangular white box, offering it to Serena. "Here. This is for you."

"For me?" Serena took the box in her hands, looking over it quickly. Once her brain processed that it wasn't wrapped, she lifted the lid of the box, gasping as she saw the outfit within. Inside the box was the second outfit she had tried on, with the white top and red-and-yellow skirt.

Serena's eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked back at May. "You bought this for me…?"

"Of course!" May gave her a wink. "You looked way too cute in that for you to not have it. We'll call it your welcome gift to Hoenn."

"I…" Serena clutched the box to her chest with both arms, as she felt all the blood in her body rushing to her cheeks. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

"No problem!" May started walking backwards down the sidewalk. "I'll see you tomorrow! Take care, Serena!" She waved energetically for a moment before turning away and walking down the street. Serena waved back and watched her go until she was out of sight, her heart pounding against the cardboard box in her arms.


Later that night, Serena walked back into her one-person bedroom at the local Pokémon Center, clad in her pajamas and wiping her face dry with a hand towel. She set the towel aside, yawned and stretched her arms, and flicked the lights off, shrouding her room in darkness. She crawled into her bed and slid under the covers, mentally exhausted from her busy day. She wanted a good, long rest before whatever Lisia was going to throw her way tomorrow.

Today hadn't been a physically draining one, but it had been momentous nonetheless. She had taken a step closer to an unknown but exciting future as an idol, and in doing so she had gained two new friends and partners, whom she had admired for a long time. This was a bit of an unorthodox step on her journey to becoming Kalos Queen, but she felt that it would be a productive one. She was on the right path. Nothing she was doing now was a waste of time.

As she lay in her bed with her eyes closed, her lips slowly curled into a smile that stretched from one ear to the other. She wrapped her arms around herself as she began to giggle uncontrollably, rolling onto her side and curling up into a ball under her blankets. She soon rolled over onto her stomach, grabbing her pillow and burying her burning face into it, squirming as she kicked her legs against her mattress.

She wasn't squirming out of excitement for her potential future as a famous idol. It wasn't because she now had two new friends and partners that she could rely on. It wasn't because she was getting closer to her ultimate goal of becoming Kalos Queen and putting smiles on the faces of everyone around her.

She was squirming because the Princess of Hoenn had told her she looked cute in her outfit.