Chapter 28: Foolish One:
After the performances concluded on the main stage, Ash and his friends partook in the festival's "afterparty" activities. There were food stands, game stands, clothing stands, and any other type of stand that the gang could imagine. From jugglers to fire eaters, there were also various kinds of street performers entertaining guests with their Pokémon. It was a night of celebration because, after May's performance, the With You Festival managed to raise more than triple the amount of its desired goal. The festival was a resounding success for the performers, the attendees, and Kalos.
"Look at all the pretty women for my brother. There are so many keepers!" Bonnie clasped her hands together and hopped from woman to woman to ask their hand in matrimony for Clemont. "You're a keeper, please take care of my brother?!" Bonnie didn't even give any woman a chance to respond. "You're a keeper too. Will you please take care of my brother?!" the little blonde girl continued gushing.
Clemont struggled to keep his composure. The gym leader heavily blushed, "Bonnie, enough! How many times are we going to do this?!" He used his Aipom arm to pull Bonnie away.
The siblings' friends became amused by their antics and laughed. They kept walking through the grounds in search of things to do, but there was so much to choose from.
Serena and May were blown away by the number of things they could participate in throughout the festival grounds. "Aria outdid herself with this one," Serena commented.
"I agree. It was sweet of her to put all this together to help the region," May thought of the famous Kalos Queen.
"Serena, May, now this is a sight I wasn't expecting," an older woman came up behind them.
The gang turned around, but Serena and May instantly recognized her. "Palermo," the young girls greeted her simultaneously. Serena assumed May knew her for being in the same celebrity circle as Aria, Wallace, etc.
"Are you here to help Aria keep everything in order?" May asked her old friend.
"Basically, but Aria insisted I also attend for some fun. Unfortunately, she couldn't be here due to other commitments. You know how it is, May," Palermo chuckled.
"All too well," May sighed with a sheepish grin.
"I was thrilled to see both of you perform tonight. I had no idea you were friends," Aria's mentor pointed out.
"We met through a mutual friend," Serena looked back at Ash, who wandered off to the hot dog stand with Clemont and Bonnie.
Palermo recognized him. "That's right, the runner-up in the Kalos League and the Lumiose Gym Leader. My, what an interesting circle of friends you girls have."
Serena and May giggled at the reality; the world seemed so small at that moment. "Palermo, I've been competing in Hoenn as you suggested," Serena excitedly informed her.
"So, I've heard. It sounds like you're working hard on making people smile through your performances as you intended," Palermo smiled approvingly, which Serena happily nodded at.
May looked at Serena with wonder. So that's what drives Serena, the top coordinator realized. The brunette admired the performer for how fearlessly she was pushing herself on her journey. The sapphire-eyed coordinator was nowhere near as good as Serena at that stage in her adventures. Serena's eyes glistened with the same fulfillment May's did before she did more photoshoots and interviews than performances. She longed for the thrill of a good old-fashioned adventure.
Palermo noticed the time, "Well if you'll please excuse me. I have to check on some staff. Please enjoy the rest of the festival on my behalf."
"Thank you, it was nice seeing you," May bowed at the older woman.
"Please tell Aria I send my best. Take care, Palermo," Serena bowed at Aria's mentor too. Palermo gave a small smile and nod. Then she walked away with her security.
"Sorry, you two, there was a long line for hot dogs. What did we miss?" Ash came up to the girls with two hot dogs in his hands. Bonnie and Clemont were close behind him.
"Was that Palermo?" Clemont recognized the woman from a distance.
"Yeah, she's helping Aria with the administration of the festival. She wanted to say 'hello,'" Serena grinned at her friends.
Bonnie smiled, "That was nice of her!"
"Yeah, I always liked Palermo. She can be intense sometimes, but she's Aria's mentor for a reason," May noted that Palermo had a gift for what she did.
Ash handed the hot dogs in his hands. "I got both of you hot dogs," he innocently handed them over.
"Thank you, Ash. It looks good," May eagerly received her dog since she hadn't eaten anything since arriving at the festival.
Serena also received his hot dog and thanked him for his consideration, but she wondered, "What about you, Ash? Aren't you hungry?"
"His hot dog is right here," Bonnie gleefully stated when she handed Ash his hot dog.
Clemont laughed, "Ash is never one to leave a food stand empty-handed."
"Can't argue with that," Ash shamelessly laughed over Clemont's remark.
The five friends and their Pokémon continued wandering until they finished eating their hot dogs. Then they found a makeshift town square where people and Pokémon were dancing. "This looks like fun!" Bonnie sprang forward, admiring the happiness on the people's faces.
Bonnie pulled Clemont by the arm, "C'mon Mr. Stiffpants. Let's get you dancing so we can find you someone!"
"I'm not stiff! I just haven't had practice," Clemont retorted as Bonnie dragged him into the crowd with Dedenne close behind. "Help me!" Clemont pleaded, but Ash, Serena, and May left him to his fate, which they found amusing.
Before Ash and the girls could do anything, they heard the sound of some sparking. "Oh man, it's busted," a man inspected the fireworks machine.
"This is not good," his assistant lowered his body with disappointment. He held his wrench in defeat.
"I wonder what's that about," May walked over to see what the commotion was about. Ash and Serena followed her.
Ash approached the pair, "Excuse me, is there something wrong that we can help with?" Serena and May admired his willingness to help anyone in need.
"I don't know, kid, are you an expert with repairing machines? Our firework shooter died on us, and we needed this ready to shoot the fireworks as part of the celebration," the man in charge of the machine crossed his arms with frustration.
"Funny you should mention that because we happen to know someone who can help," Serena shyly giggled as Clemont came to mind.
Ash made a fist, "I'll be right back. I'll go find Clemont and Bonnie!" He assured the man they'd help them with a determined smile. May and Serena agreed to wait for him as he and Pikachu dashed into the crowd.
"Oh, Ash, it was awful. I've never been so embarrassed," Clemont whined as Ash pulled him out of the crowd.
"You big baby," Bonnie sneered at him. The young girl failed to get Clemont out of his comfort zone. From Clemont's perspective, Ash saved him from humiliation.
The raven-haired boy disregarded their arguing as he brought them to the malfunctioning fireworks machine needed for the festival. It didn't take long to get back to the girls, where Ash showed Clemont the machine. "Here's the fireworks machine that needs repairs for the festival," Ash pointed out.
"Now, this is my area of expertise," Clemont adjusted his glasses to inspect the machine. He preferred working on these sorts of things than forcing himself to dance.
The older man and his assistant watched while Clemont examined it. "Does it have a fix, Clemont?" May curiously wondered.
Clemont tapped and tinkered the machine a bit more. "Hmmmm, it might, but luckily, I have just the replacement," the gym leader pumped his chest out with his fists on his waist.
"Oh no," Bonnie put her hand on her head as if she'd gotten a headache.
"You have another fireworks machine?" Serena was surprised by the reveal.
Clemont chucked, "That's right, the future is now thanks to science. Clemontic gear on!" The blonde-haired boy pulled down a red cloth to unveil a high-tech fireworks machine. It was a steel box painted with Typhlosion's characteristics. The top of the box represented Typhlosion's back, which had tubes sticking out. That is where one placed the rockets for launching.
"Was that always there?" Bonnie blinked several times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She wondered at what moment her brother brought such a machine to the festival.
"Presenting my Fire Worker Mecha 1.0. Thanks to state-of-the-art pyrotechnics, this baby automatically launches fireworks within a 10-second countdown the second you position it. Not only that, but the fire used to light the fireworks at the machine's base is powered by the flames of Moltres, so it never dies out. I'm quite proud of it," Clemont pushed his glasses back, arrogantly reflecting a glare.
His loud speech caught the attention of several festivalgoers, who became fascinated by the fancy fireworks machine. They all "ooed" and "awed" while waiting for Clemont to activate his latest creation.
"At least it's not as bad as some of your other names," Bonnie conceded with crossed arms. Nonetheless, she doubted him. When she saw more strangers pay attention to Clemont, she sighed. Wait till they find out; Bonnie shook her head sideways.
Ash's eyes shined, "Man, science is so awesome!" His eagerness made Serena and May laugh uneasily. They still hadn't recovered from the memory of their wardrobe malfunction.
"Where did you get a Moltres flame from?" May was surprised to hear that part of his introduction.
"The Pokémon League was kind enough to share some. Being a gym leader has its perks, too," Clemont proudly noted.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's see this baby in action," the man in charge of the fireworks and his assistant became impatient.
"Of course, please go ahead and place a rocket," Clemont stepped back to see his latest invention perform. The man's assistant placed a rocket in the machine. The Lumiose Gym Leader pressed the button on his controller to turn on the machine, "Here it comes," he excitedly declared.
The machine lit up, but it started beeping frantically upon activation. "Uh-oh, not again," Clemont panicked.
"What's happening now?" May rolled her eyes.
"The flames from Moltres are too powerful for the machine to handle. It's messing up the circuitry, so it's about to blow. Run for it!" Clemont prepared to run away. Serena, Ash, Bonnie, May, and their Pokémon tried to escape the radius of the blast along with everyone else, but it was too late.
When the smoke settled, dozens of guests got covered in smoke from the explosion. The machine that originally malfunctioned also got blown up in the process. "Pika," Pikachu shook off the smoke with annoyance.
"De denne," the smoke-covered Dedenne glared at Bonnie's older brother.
"Oh, man. That was bad," Ash weakly puffed out some smoke.
"My hair," May whimpered when she saw how frizzy it got.
"Clemont, next time, just fix the machine," Serena glared at her friend. She knew she should've stopped him from recommending his invention in the first place. The blonde-haired performer fell over in defeat.
Clemont feared retribution. "Right," he nodded, trying to laugh off the shame.
"Guess we'll just have to call in the guy to bring a new one," the pyrotechnics supervisor sighed in defeat. That was the last time he'd accept help from youngsters.
Bonnie stomped over to Clemont with a scowl on her face alongside Dedenne. She pulled her brother by the collar of his jumpsuit, "Let's go get you cleaned up, or we'll never find someone to take care of you." Clemont's sister dragged him across the floor with annoyance.
"Please excuse us," Clemont nervously sweated as Bonnie took him away to get fixed.
After fixing themselves up, Ash, Serena, May, and Pikachu rejoined the crowd in the square, where the dancing continued. "You should bring out your Pokémon so they can have fun, too!" Ash suggested. Unfortunately, he transferred his Pokémon back to Oak's lab after their time in May's home.
"Right!" Serena and May responded in unison. They threw their Pokéballs into the air together. Everyone was excited to partake in the festivities.
"Syl sylveon," Sylveon greeted Glaceon and invited her fellow Eeveelution to dance.
"Gla Glaceon," Glaceon happily accepted the invitation. The pair ran off to dance with Munchlax, Skitty, Beautifly, Pancham, and Delphox, who were already enjoying themselves.
May turned to Serena to reach for her hand. "Let's dance, Serena." The brunette hoped she flashed an inviting smile at the performer.
"Ok!" Serena couldn't refuse the fun. The girls ran off to dance in the middle of the square.
Ash admired them as they bolted off. He was glad that the girls were kicking it off so well. He knew they would get along since May and Serena were some of the sweetest people he befriended on his journey. The auburn-eyed trainer turned to his partner, who surprisingly decided to stick with him instead of dancing off with May and Serena's Pokémon. "Why aren't you dancing with the other Pokémon, buddy?" Ash asked his yellow friend.
"Pikapi pikachu," Pikachu explained to Ash. The mouse rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"You don't want me to be alone?" Ash returned a sheepish grin. The boy appreciated his best friend's concern, "I'll be fine. Go ahead, pal, we don't get to have this kind of fun with our friends often."
"Maybe you should listen to yourself sometimes, Ash," May's voice caught Ash's attention.
The raven-haired teen turned from Pikachu to the coordinator. He saw that May and Serena had returned from their dancing. Serena added, "Go dance with the others, Pikachu. We'll make sure Ash has some fun, too." The Kalos performer assured Pikachu that she and May would look after Ash.
Pikachu snickered and agreed to their terms. The rodent ran off to join his Pokémon friends. Ash crossed his arms and awkwardly smiled, "Last time I tried to dance, it didn't work out too well."
"That was a long time ago, Ash. Besides, you danced just fine at the exhibition performance in Lumiose City before we split up. How's this any different?" Serena argued.
"We were helping Lumiose City rebui-" Ash stopped halfway. He realized the folly of his argument, but he still hesitated to join the girls.
May crossed her arms with annoyance, "You just told Pikachu he should take advantage of the time we have together. Who knows when we'll all be together like this again."
"We'll guide you," Serena tried to encourage Ash.
Ash tried not to look them in the eye, but he could feel them gazing into his soul. "We won't leave you alone until you agree to join us," May teased with a wink.
This clearly isn't going in my favor, Ash conceded in his mind. His mother was right. It's impossible to win an argument against a girl. The trainer sighed, "Alright, let's dance."
"Yay!" Serena cheered over Ash's concession.
"C'mon," May pulled Ash by the hand. Serena disregarded it for the sake of having fun. She knew it should be a happy time for all of them.
They brought their Kanto friend to the center of the floor, where they would dance. May and Serena held hands and created a ring around Ash. "What gives?" the trainer was confused by their action.
"In case you decide to escape," May smirked at him.
"You can't leave until you start dancing," Serena winked and stuck her tongue out at him.
Ash rolled his eyes, "Now I'm your prisoner?"
"Something like that," the girls replied simultaneously and giggled.
The music in the background sounded familiar. "I've heard this somewhere before," Ash noted. "Where have I heard this before?" the raven-haired trainer asked.
Serena beamed, "It's the music I danced to when I competed against Aria."
"It's an amazing beat," May loved the rhythm.
"That's right!" Ash exclaimed. Without realizing it, he found himself tapping the floor as his body became a slave to the rhythm.
Serena and May nodded in approval. "That's it, Ash, now work your way up," Serena pushed him as he started to loosen up. Serena's encouragement made Ash feel more comfortable as a smile danced across his face. He hopped side to side with his legs and arms, much like Serena did in her Master Class performance.
"That's the spirit, keep it up!" May lent her encouragement to the usually stiff Pokémon trainer.
As Ash got swept by the music, it was Serena and May's turn to admire him. The girls dropped their arms, but they continued to dance around him. "Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this," Ash laughed while he danced.
Serena and May observed his joyful spirit. They saw the energy in his eyes that was so contagious for them. The sound of his laugh warmed their hearts. Watching him dance was adorable. Both girls wished they could grab him and dance the night away. May and Serena blushed at the thought of dancing with Ash. Serena remembered how she had been so close to dancing with Ash before, but it seemed she wouldn't get her chance this time either.
Unexpectedly, in one of those moments of admiring Ash, May and Serena's eyes met. Serena caught May blushing after gazing at Ash, and May caught Serena blushing while staring at Ash. After glancing at each other, they looked at the floor awkwardly to avoid each other's eyes. The girls enjoyed their new friendship, but it was hard to ignore the palpable tension between the performers.
On the other hand, Ash remained oblivious to what occurred around him. "C'mon, you two, I thought you wanted to dance," Ash encouraged them when he noticed they stopped dancing. He didn't want to lose his rhythm, so he kept moving.
May and Serena lifted their heads to look at him with embarrassed smiles. Ash smiled at them, "Grab my hand. The three of us can dance together," the boy from Pallet Town invited them by extending his hands.
The girls didn't expect Ash to get so enthusiastic, and neither wanted to ruin this for him. Serena and May glanced at each other after their blushes faded. They gave each other approving nods with soft smiles. "Hope you're ready," May teased Ash.
"We'll make you dance till you can't get enough," Serena added to May's teasing with a giggle.
"Try me," Ash dared them with a confident smile. When they each grabbed his hand, a light blush returned to their faces, but they ignored it. Ash remained unaware of what was brewing below the surface, yet it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they had fun. The trio danced in a circle until time became irrelevant. It was euphoric.