Six months later, everything changed. Ash and Serena were staying at the Pokemon Indigo League Plateau hotel, on the eve of the Grand Showcase Final. Of course this meant Serena had now successfully obtained three very special Princess Keys. Ash and Serena had scoured the entire region from top to bottom. From Pewter City to the Indigo League Plateau. Exactly how Ash's first ever journey played out. Everything was to be decided here. And make no mistake, Serena had really had to earn her place to be there.

After Pewter, they headed straight to Cerulean City, where they had an awkward reunion with Misty. She had heard about their recent exploits and insisted they needed to come visit her at the Cerulean Gym. Serena was not happy at all and even Ash was reluctant after she tried to come onto him at the party, but she was still a friend. Safe to say, Misty wasn't very impressed that they were on another journey together and tagged along to the Cerulean Showcase Event, in an attempt to disrupt them. And of course Shauna and the gang were there too, along with a very cocky Miette, who was showing off her Princess Key and teasing Serena once again about Ash. So this time, Serena had both Misty and Miette to compete with. But as hard as it was for her, she had to put her full attention on the performance this time. Besides, Ash really didn't seem keen on either of them, which put Serena's mind at ease. So she told herself that if he really liked her, he wouldn't be interested in them at all. And he really wasn't, as he never once entertained any of their flirting. Serena couldn't help but enjoy that. Ash really was a tough man to get. He was unbelievably dense to any kind of advances from girls as it was, but he was a champion now, so he technically had the pick of the bunch. Yet he didn't seem to want anyone right now. He was insistent that he was only there to support Serena. Plus, even though she had threatened to do it, Miette chickened out of asking Ash out. His stubbornness to her flirting seemed to put her off altogether, which Serena very much took pleasure in seeing.

With all that in mind, Serena stopped worrying completely about Ash and his admirers. There was no point getting worked up about that or her own feelings for him anymore. Instead, she channelled all of that wasted energy into her performance and thought about how much prouder Ash would be of her if she actually won this time. And so she did. It was a rematch of the last contest with Miette in the final, but this time Serena remained focused and was victorious. And that was Princess Key number 1 earned and a step closer to her dream. After the Showcase, Misty was practically begging to come along with Ash and Serena. Serena was worried for a second that Ash would actually say yes, as they were such old friends. But to her surprise, Ash politely turned her down, saying that this journey was just for the two of them. Misty was absolutely gobsmacked at Ash's rejection and stomped off back to her Gym. Ash shouted an apology back at her, but she was absolutely livid and they hadn't heard from her since. Ash just kept choosing Serena over and over again. In truth, he would have even said no to Brock if he asked to come. He made a promise to Serena to return the favour and support her dream and to him, that also meant priotising her and not letting anyone else get in the way of her success.

Cerulean was the start of good times, as they travelled from city to city. Serena wasn't always successful however, and lost the next Showcase. But after persistent perseverance, she found joy again at Celadon and Saffron City. Naturally, Miette and Shauna were hot on her toes the whole time and managed to make the Grand Final too. All three of them were very experienced performers by now and they were all tipped as favourites to win the whole thing by Pierre and the general public. They had already met at the entrance of the hotel earlier today and pledged to give it their all tomorrow. But now the nerves were really setting in as Serena paced about her hotel suite in her pyjamas. She was trying to remember all the sequences for her performances and was getting it all jumbled up in her head. Obviously she was overthinking it way too much. Funnily enough, she needed a distraction this time and was thankful for it when she heard a knock at the door…

'Hey, Rena! There's some old friends out here to see you!' chimed Ash.

'Oh, who?'

'Come outside and see!'

Serena wondered who it could be and opened the door. As soon as she did, she was met by a rushing hug. Serena looked down.

'Oh, Bonnie! What a nice surprise! You've grown again! How are you?'

'I'm just fine, Serena! I'm just so happy to see you again! I missed you loads!' Bonnie only came up to her waist, but she was still hugging her super tight.

'Aww! Me too, Bonnie. I wish I could have come to see you, but I've been kinda busy since the last time we saw each other.'

'I know! I can't believe you're in a final again! We just had to come and root for you!'

'Oh, we?' Ash cleared his throat as a signal. Clemont appeared from the other end of the hallway.

'Clemont! You both came all the way from Kalos just see me?'

'Of course we did, Serena! You're like family to us.' Clemont came over to hug her too. Serena started to well up a little.

'Oh, you guys!' Ash came over to join them for a group hug.

'Any more surprises?' joked Serena.

'Oh, not really… just Brock and Olivia. They came too,' said Ash. Brock and Olivia appeared round the corner too and walked down the hallway.

'Hey, Serena. Congrats on reaching the final! We're all gonna be rooting for you tomorrow,' said Olivia.

'Oh, thank you so much for coming! You really didn't have to.'

'Oh, nonsense!' interjected Brock. 'We've really bonded since we met and honestly I think we should all meet up more when you come back home… That is if you're going back to Pallet Town with Ash?'

Serena froze on the spot and was completely caught off guard by Brock's question. She fiddled with hair nervously.

'Oh, um. Well that sounds lovely! But I really haven't given it any thought yet. I've been too busy thinking about tomorrow!'

Ash looked over at Serena and actually looked a little worried. It was true they hadn't talked about it yet, but Ash just always assumed she would come back with him whatever happened tomorrow. But now he was starting to think of the other possibilities. Becoming Kanto Queen could easily change things…

'Ah, that's understandable. But you two really make a good team, so I wouldn't make any rash decisions yet if I was you,' said Brock. He winked at them. Serena and Ash looked at each and smiled.

'Yeah. We are a good team,' said Ash.

'Well, the offer is always there to come see us in Pewter anytime.' Serena nodded.

'Thank you. We'll see…' Serena then looked all around the hallway at everyone who had made the journey to the Plateau for her. But she really needed to unwind now. 'I really appreciate you all coming though! But if you guys don't mind, I really do need to be getting some sleep now.'

'Not before you see me,' said a voice not in the hallway. Another person appeared at the end of the hallway, clapping for Serena.

'M-mum?!' Serena's jaw dropped.

'That's right, honey! Well done on making it this far again!'

Serena rushed over to her and gave her the most loving hug of the night. The past six months with Ash were the happiest she had ever been in her life, but there was still nothing like a mother's love.

'Alright, well we'll leave you to it. Sleep well, Serena. One last push, yeah?' said Ash, looking fired up already.

'Yeah! One last push! Thanks for everything, Ash. And thank you everybody for coming! You're all such amazing friends!'

Everyone said goodnight and wished her luck for tomorrow. Serena invited her mum to her room and they caught up with each other for the next hour or so. Serena hadn't given the great big occasion another thought, and it was a good thing too or her head might have exploded. Serena helped her mum set up a sleeping bag and they both fell asleep just as the clock hit 10pm. The Showcase didn't begin until 5pm tomorrow, but Serena wanted to be up as early as possible to prepare for it as thoroughly as she could.

The sun rose early the next morning, in the breezy early spring air of March. Serena awoke in sync with the dawn of the new day at 6am. She went straight to the bathroom to get her day started as quickly as possible. Once she was washed and dressed, she tip-toed out, not wanting to wake her mum. She closed the door quietly behind her and as she turned around, she saw Ash leaning against his door with his arms folded, in a tracksuit and smirking at her. Serena immediately blushed, not expecting him to be waiting there for her and looking that good so early in the morning.

'Oh, Ash! I didn't see you there!'

Ash didn't say a word and instead just walked over to her, keeping that determined looking smirk up. God. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? He got closer and closer until he put a hand on her shoulder.

'This is it, Rena. Everything we've been working towards leads to this...'

They locked eyes and just stared at each other for a while, both knowing how big today was. Not just for Serena, but perhaps their whole relationship moving forwards. Whatever happened today could decide the future for them both.

'Are you ready?' asked Ash.

'As ready as I'll ever be,' she replied instantly, hyped as ever by Ash's motivational energy.

Ash smiled and held out his hand for Serena to hold. They headed downstairs to the hotel kitchen and got a healthy balanced breakfast. Then once they were energised, they headed to the hotel gym for a little Pre-Showcase work out, led by Ash and Pikachu. By this point they were as fit as a fiddle, having done this every morning for the past six months now. Serena was never this well trained in Hoenn. And just having Ash's positive presence alone was definitely a big boost for her this time. They didn't overdo it however. It was like the day of a big sports cup final, so Serena didn't want to expend herself too much before the Showcase even began.

After a satisfyingly productive session, they decided to wait for the others to join them outside. Ash checked his watch and saw it was nearly 9am now. Ash had sent them all a message to meet him and Serena at the entrance of the hotel when he woke up. First to come out was Bonnie and Clemont who looked excited for the big day. Then Brock and Olivia followed, looking particularly loved up today for some reason. Serena questioned why they looked so happy, which Brock answered by saying it was their four year anniversary today.

'Oh my god. That's so sweet. Congrats!'

'Thanks, Serena. There's really nothing like being in love,' replied Olivia, looking up at Brock lovingly.

Serena admired how long they had been together, but sort of slightly envied them too. She'd never loved anyone except Ash. So as far as she was concerned, it was him or nothing at the moment. But today really wasn't the day to be thinking about such things. She couldn't afford any distraction at all. There was no 2nd chance this time. No do overs. She quickly dismissed her daydreaming romantic thoughts about Ash and put her mind back on the Showcase. The only person they were waiting for now was Grace. She walked out of the doors moments later with her arms behind her back.

'Serena, my darling. How are you feeling?' Serena smiled broadly at her.

'I'm good thank you, mum. Ash and I got a good training session in this morning and I'm raring to go now! Just gonna head over to the Plateau now and practice my performance.'

'Sounds perfect, dear. But I have a surprise for you before you go…'

'Oh, mum! Whatever it is you really shouldn't have!'

'Pfft! Are you kidding me! It's not everyday your daughter reaches the Grand Showcase Final! Let alone a third one!' She brought her arms forward and everyone saw she was holding a fancy colourful box with a blue ribbon tied around it. 'This is for you, Serena. My lovely daughter.'

Serena walked up to her and looked at the box with intrigue.

'Go on, open it.'

Serena nodded and began to untie the ribbon. Then when it unravelled, she lifted the lid of the box. Serena gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

'Oh, mum. It's so gorgeous!'

'What is?' asked Ash, wanting to get a look at it.

'Mum got me a new dress!'

She took it out for everyone to see and they were just as amazed at it. It was a purple strapless dress, with sparkly stars sprawled across it. Serena had never worn anything like it before and purple wasn't usually her colour, but it was utterly stunning to look at and she hadn't even put it on yet. She squealed and hugged her mum, thanking her for such a thoughtful gift.

'You're very welcome, dear. You should go try it on!'

'Oh, yes! I have to make sure it looks good on me first! I'll quickly try it on now.' She put it back in the box and began to dash back inside to her room, but then paused. She turned around slowly and gazed over at Ash. Ash felt her stare and turned to meet her eyes.

'Hey, Ash. Would you mind coming with me? Might need a little help putting it on…'

'Oh, er. Yeah, s-sure. Look after Pikachu for me will you, Bonnie?' Bonnie happily took Pikachu off Ash, as he jumped off his shoulder and into her arms. Serena smiled and then turned to face everyone else.

'Okay. Ash and I won't be long, everyone. You guys can go ahead and check in at the Plateau. We'll catch up later!'

Everyone nodded and made their way over there. Serena looked back at Ash and invited him up with her. Ash was as dense as they come, but even he was a bit flustered at the thought of helping her with her dress. He wondered why she didn't ask her mum, but figured Serena just wanted him instead for some reason. Since beginning their journey, he hadn't really questioned anything Serena had asked of him. He made a promise to her to help her in any way he could to achieve her dreams. And if that included helping her into her new dress for the big finale, then so be it. Ash was happy to do it, but he was feeling a little nervous about it as he walked up the stairs with Serena. She guided Ash into her room. Ash sat down on the bed and awaited instructions. Serena opened the box again and modelled it over her normal clothes first. Serena seemed to like how it was looking so far and was excited to put it on.

'Okay, Ash. I'm gonna change into it now. But I'll need help zipping it up soon…'

'Oh, okay. I'll just look out the window while you change. Just give me a shout when I can turn back.'

'Okay, sure.'

Ash turned away and started whistling while he waited. In all honesty, Serena didn't really mind whether Ash turned around or not. But she thought it was cute that he still respected her privacy. Serena stripped off and then picked up her dress and hoisted it up her legs. She pulled it up to her chest and fitted it to herself. It was her size but still a little tight, which was of course intentional. Serena made a few more adjustments and looked in a long mirror to make sure everything was looking as it should. Then she did a quick spin and admired her new look in the mirror.

'Okay. You can turn around now, Ash!'

'Y-you sure?'

'Yes! Help me with my zip at the back, please.'

If Serena was completely honest with herself, she could manage it herself and easily zip it up. But she wanted to feel Ash's hands on her; the touch of the man she so desperately needed. Ash turned around, but had his hands over his eyes. Serena laughed.

'You can look now, silly! Take your hands off your eyes,' she teased.

Ash lowered his hands, then walked over to Serena slowly. He saw her face in the mirror and smiled at her a little awkwardly. Then he reached his hands out and started zipping the dress up, with slightly shaky fingers. Serena inwardly moaned in pleasure at the feel of his touch, but tried her best not to show it on her face or make any sound. Ash had never done anything like this before, let alone touch a girl in this way. It was quite intimate and Ash was getting a little hot under the collar. He zipped it all the way up and then stared at Serena's neck for a few seconds. He'd never realised how smooth her skin looked until now. He almost wanted to wrap his hands around her… But then he quickly realised he was staring and backed off. Serena wouldn't have cared how long he stared at her though and only wished the moment had lasted longer.

'Okay. It's all done now, Rena.'

'Thanks, Ash!' Serena turned and twirled around in her new dress for him.

'Well, come on then! Tell me what you think, Ash?'

Ash looked stunned when he caught his first proper sight of the dress on her. Serena kept twirling and batting her eyelashes at him. Ash's mouth widened a little and he barely blinked as he stared at her. Serena stopped twirling and raised an eyebrow.

'Well, Ash?'

Ash muttered something unintelligible. Now that was more of a Serena thing usually, but Ash genuinely couldn't sort his tongue out. Serena looked over at him and smirked.

'Cat got your tongue, eh?'

'Er, something like that… But you look incredible, Serena! Really incredible!'

'Aww. Thank you, Ash!'

Ash just nodded and continued to stare. There was a feeling inside of him that was rendering him unable to speak properly and made it impossible to look away. This was a very unfamiliar feeling for Ash. He had no clue what was happening to him. His eyes just weren't moving from her. The dress was really showing off the best parts of Serena's body. Something Ash had never really taken much notice of before, of any girl if he really thought about it. But some kind of chemical in his brain had suddenly activated and from that point, he would never see Serena the same again. He couldn't understand why or how this strange new feeling was taking over, but his hormones were raging inside him like crazy. Serena noticed Ash hadn't moved an inch for a while now and asked him if he was alright.

'Oh, yeah! I'm fine! Sorry, I just zoned out for a bit!'

Serena giggled at how lost for words Ash was. It was very rare that Ash Ketchum was left speechless.

'Hmm, well I'm happy you like the dress. I'm definitely going to wear it tonight.' Serena winked playfully.

Ash just gave her a thumbs up, still not being able to articulate himself properly around her in that dress. But he seemed to have his movement back now. Serena was starting to wonder why he was acting so differently than normal. It was like he had suddenly become shy around her.

'Okay, well give me 5 minutes to get changed again and then we'll head over to the Plateau!'

Ash nodded and waited outside while Serena got changed back into her normal clothes. As soon as she was ready, they left the hotel again. Ash was still a little quiet and couldn't get the image of Serena in that dress out of his mind. Serena was tempted to question Ash on why he seemed to have something on his mind, but she didn't want to get distracted again. Deep down, Serena was rather hoping that Ash was acting the way he was because he thought Serena looked beautiful in the dress. But once again, now wasn't the time for thinking about such indulgent things.

As soon as they arrived, they met the others and decided to take in the local surroundings and survey the magnificent venue. After that, they got some lunch. Serena tried to relax a little and train her mind to be calm. She didn't know why she was so unsettled. It wasn't like this was her first time. Far from it. And what was that old saying again? Third time's the charm? Being overly stressed wouldn't help anyone, she thought. But it was all going to begin in a matter of hours now and Serena had to be in the dressing room by 3, to have enough time to get ready. With it being a final, all the contestants needed to ensure they looked their absolute best. A big part of a Showcase was showcasing yourself too after all.

As 3 o'clock hit, Serena was sitting in the dressing room getting her hair done by a stylist. Of course Shauna and Miette had made it on time too and were also getting their hair stylised next to her. It was dead quiet however and everyone seemed to be extremely focused. Miette didn't even tease Serena once. Every single one of them in that room wanted that life-changing prize at the end. But perhaps no one more than Serena, with this being her third attempt at it. In reality, most of her fantasies involved Ash, but she always dreamt frequently about being crowned Queen in between all her other dreams. The two things she wanted most in life. She often wondered what she wanted more, but she could never decide. She just wanted both. And both were possible. But one was more likely and could happen tonight if she just believed in herself.

After a good hour of beauty therapy, Serena was good to go. Now it was time to put on her dress again and give her Pokemon one last pep talk before showtime. Serena was in the middle of giving Pancham some special instructions, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was one of the stage managers.

'Trainer Serena?'

'Yes?'

'There's a guy called Ash outside asking to see you.'

'Oh, okay! Thanks!'

Serena rushed outside and was met by another stunned look from Ash. This time however, he seemed to be able to find his voice.

'H-hey, Rena. Just wanted to wish you luck before you get out there… And I want you to know whatever happens, I'll fully support you in whatever you decide to do next.'

'Aw! Thanks, Ash. I don't know what's gonna happen tonight, but I know one thing for sure. I still want to stay with you whatever the outcome.'

'Me too, Rena. I guess we've just been through too much together, huh?'

'Yeah. It's been a bit of a whirlwind for us these past 6 months, hasn't it?'

'It has, yeah. I don't think I've ever been this close to anyone before… And it's crazy how far we've come since the Pokemon Summer Camp all those years ago.'

'I know. I'm just so glad I found you in Kalos. To meet you both times by chance in this big wide world…' Serena looked down and spoke more quietly. 'And now we're linked more strongly than words,' she almost whispered, but loud enough for Ash to hear. Ash admired how poetic their history was.

'I couldn't agree more.'

Ash titled Serena's chin up and they caught each other's eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time. Time was slowing down again. Serena wondered if this was going to be another "nearly" moment, but tried to tell herself to not get too sucked into it this time. Yet Ash was edging closer to her now, so it was ridiculously hard not to let it take over.

'Rena…' breathed Ash.

'Ash…'

Serena watched as his lips were getting closer to her again, just like in the dressing room at the first Showcase. Serena closed her eyes in anticipation, feeling like it was finally going to happen. It felt like an eternity before she felt his hot breath, but it wasn't on her lips. She felt a peck of the lips on her cheek. Serena slowly opened her eyes and blushed.

'Did... Did you just kiss my cheek?' she asked.

'Y-yeah… that happened…' Ash rubbed the back of his neck. 'Anyway! The show's about to begin, so I better get to my seat… Good luck, Rena! You've got this.'

'Er, okay. Thanks. I hope you enjoy the show.'

Ash grinned and ran off. Serena raised her hand and rubbed the cheek Ash had just kissed. That was the closet yet. Her hand trembled a little as she lowered it back down. She put her hand over her chest and took a deep breath. To most, it would only be a simple kiss on the cheek, but to Serena it meant everything. She took it as a good luck charm and headed back into the dressing room with a blissful aura about her.

Five o'clock was looming over now, as the show was about to begin. Serena's fan club had massed together in the audience, eagerly awaiting her appearance. (And Shauna's little fan club too; mainly made up of Tierno and Trevor, who were always there to support her). The show began with a pretty lightshow and the lighting of the Indigo Plateau flame. Oohs and Ahhs took over the stadium as the first Kanto Grand Final Showcase had officially begun. Pierre entered the stage and introduced the first three contestants. Serena wasn't on for a while yet, so Ash took the opportunity to ask Brock about something he was confused about.

'Hey, Brocko... Can I ask you something… man to man?' Brock turned in his seat to face him and raised an eyebrow. Ash never asked to talk about anything with him, except maybe the odd Pokemon battling related question. But Brock assumed this must be about Serena and was more than happy to have a lads talk.

'Er, sure man. Fire away, bro.'

'Well, it's hard to explain but… earlier when Serena asked me to help her with her dress, she just looked so… so… amazing.' Brock nodded and showed his understanding. 'And I just sort of stiffened up? I couldn't take my eyes off her. I just kept staring… and staring. And I just felt this odd feeling… I can't describe it. But it was a nice feeling. A feeling of desire, I guess?'

Ash looked towards Brock with a sense of curiosity, eagerly awaiting his response. Brock just lowered his head and chuckled to himself.

'Ah! You're finally growing up, my friend!' He raised his head back up and smiled at him. 'I think you're right. It does sound like you had a feeling of desire. But if you really want to know what it was, I think you've just experienced your first moment of arousal, mate.'

'Arou-what?' Brock laughed again.

'Oh, Ash. You may be a Pokemon Master now, but you've really got a lot to learn about girls and shit.'

'Well, tell me! Please, I want to know!' pleaded Ash.

'Alright. But I'm warning you. It's pretty heavy stuff…'

Brock whispered something to Ash and said something that made Ash's eyes widen and then he blushed.

'Oh,' was all he could say. Ash sat back in his chair and took a hefty sigh of breath.

'I really do have a lot to learn...' he mumbled.

'Don't worry, mate. I'm happy to take you through it all anytime.'

Brock gave him a thumbs up and then they continued to watch the show. But it played on Ash's mind for the duration of the opening contests. He just couldn't stop thinking about Serena and his mind was replaying the dress moment over and over again. And then it reversed to Ash zipping the dress off... Ash shook his head and put his full attention on the show.

As the half hour mark approached, Pierre finally announced Serena's name and there was raucous applause as she ascended to the stage, alongside two other performers. Ash's heart suddenly started beating very fast. He wasn't sure whether it was that "arousal" feeling Brock was talking about earlier or he was just nervous for her, but Ash tried to remain composed for her. It was time to support Serena. She needed him most now and he didn't want to put her off. So he buried his confusing feelings and clapped and cheered for her louder than ever before. Serena noticed him again straight away and smiled, but kept herself focused on the task at hand.

Serena eased through the first stage with no hiccups and even did it with style. Her talent and flair encapsulated the audience immediately and she quickly became the number one fan favourite to win. The show was a true spectacle of the best of the best on offer in the Showcase world. But at the end of the day, contestants still had to be eliminated and as the evening wore on and the skies became darker, the Showcase moved into the semi finals stage. Serena, Miette and Shauna had made it through, including Trainer Sami from the Pewter contest. The matchups were Shauna vs Sami and Miette vs Serena. Shauna had just marginally won and made the final, as she walked past Serena in the hallway and winked at her. Serena was absolutely quaking in her boots and shaking a little as she approached the stage for what felt like an age old rivalry with Miette. Could she hold her nerve and beat her again? She entered the stage that had now been converted into a battlefield, just as when Ash was there all those years ago. The battlefield of random choice for this stage was a forest.

The battle came down to the wire again, with Pancham the last of Serena's Pokemon standing. Serena was tempted to look over at Ash, but she closed her eyes instead and simply just asked herself: "What would Ash do?" And then within seconds she knew. Her eyes snapped back open and she gave Miette the most confident, off-putting look she had ever seen. Miette tried to read what she was thinking and looked a little worried. Serena never looked that confident. Ever. Miette was a little spooked to say the least.

'Pancham! Use Dark Pulse… but hit it at the trees repeatedly!'

'What?!' shouted Miette.

Her Slurpuff was just as confused and scratched its head trying to figure out what they were up to. Pancham didn't hesitate, however and destroyed all the trees in sight. And then the stage was engulfed in a haze of smoke from the aftermath.

'Okay. Now, Pancham!'

'Now, what?' spluttered Miette in utter confusion.

The smoke cleared, but Pancham was nowhere to be found until he suddenly leapt out of the ground and tackled Slurpuff with impactful force. The surprise of it was super effective. Both Pokemon wobbled a little from the collision, until Slurpuff eventually leaned over to its side and dropped to the floor.

'Slurpuff is unable to batt-!' announced the referee. Pancham collapsed too seconds later. '... Pancham is also unable to battle! But Slurpuff went down first so… the winner of this semi final is Trainer Serena!'

Serena reacted with a big gasp and put her hands around her mouth in shock. She had reached another final! And defeated her greatest rival to get there! By the skin of her teeth no less. But that didn't matter. It was like getting a last minute winner in a football match. Miette simply just dropped to her knees and hung her head in defeat. Meanwhile, in the audience Ash was immensely proud and nodding his head approvingly.

'She got that from me you know, Brock.'

'Oh, really?

'Yeah. Kalos league semi-final. I did exactly the same move with the trees.'

'Huh. Impressive. And very typical of you. The unexpected tactic again... It certainly worked a charm for Serena.'

'Oh, yeah. She could go all the way now!'

Serena didn't have much time to bask in the glory though. She shook Miette's hand and rushed off to the Pokemon Center in the Plateau, to rest and recover her Pokemon for the big one in an hour's time. Shauna had also left her Pokemon in Nurse Joy's care. Serena and Shauna had never come up against each other so competitively before until now. They both waited in the same room together, but there was dead silence. Serena was trying to bottle up her anxieties, all while trying to come to terms with the fact that she had to battle her friend and they couldn't both win. But friends or not, Serena still had to think of a game plan and fast. She was so close now, it would be foolish of her to let personal feelings get in the way.

The time was now ticking closer to 9pm, which meant it was nearly time for the title of the first ever Kanto Queen to be named and crowned. Ash and the rest of the gang had gone to get something to eat from the Plateau food courts in the interval and were just heading back to their seats, when Pierre announced the Final battle was about to commence.

Serena walked slowly over to her technical area and saw Shauna in hers. They both half-smiled at each other respectfully, but they'd still do anything to win. This was going to be complicated for them. Serena wished it was Miette instead. She thought facing her in the semi was a little premature. It should have been the final for her. Nonetheless, THIS was the final and there was no shying away from it now.

Sylveon and Flabebe were up first. They were both pretty evenly matched for the most part, but Sylveon emerged victorious with a final swift attack. 1-0. Good start. Shauna returned Flabebe to its Pokeball and unveiled her second Pokemon. Gothita was up next, who was very quick to make an impact. Sylveon had unfortunately taken too much damage in the last matchup and eventually succumbed to a powerful Psybeam attack, despite putting up a good fight. It was 1-1 now. Serena kept calm and chose Pancham next. The fans were treated to a fiery end to end final as they continued to duke it out. For a while, the two Pokemon were in deadlock and no one could predict who would take the commanding 2-1 lead. And then Pancham suddenly grabbed its arm in pain. Gothita had left a critical blow on him. Serena didn't realise how bad it was and instructed him to attack in spite of it. Pancham wasn't entirely confident in this course of action, but still trusted Serena and swung forwards. It was a weak move as Pancham unfortunately completely missed Gothita. Shauna pounced on the error and commanded Gothita to use Psyshock. Pancham was too tired to react and took the full brunt of it. The field was filled with discharge from the attack. As it cleared, the referee took one look at Pancham and raised his flag, announcing him unable to battle. 2-1 to Shauna now…

Serena still didn't panic though. Gothita was breathing pretty heavily and looking extremely exhausted, so if Serena was clever and picked the right attack, it could be knocked out in one blow. And that's exactly what she did, as soon as Delphox leapt into action and unleashed a ruthless fire blast. Gothita was completely singed and fell to the ground instantly. 2-2. Level. Shauna was looking a little rattled now and quickly threw on her last roll of the dice. Venusaur. Her Ivysaur had recently evolved and everyone was visibly surprised to see a significantly larger and stronger Pokemon. The audience were on the edge of their seats for the conclusion of this epic battle and the Showcase Tournament as a whole. Serena technically had the type advantage, but that meant absolutely nothing if she didn't get this right. She would need to do something unpredictable and creative. Just like Ash would. An Ash special if you could call it that. There was a long pause in action and the stadium was dead silent, as Delphox and Venusaur sized each other up. Serena and Shauna smiled at each other.

'Well. This is it, Shauna… I want you to give it all you've got!' said Serena.

'Oh! I'm going to do my very best, Serena! And I want nothing less from you too!'

They both nodded and then simultaneously shouted out their first attack. Both Pokemon launched an onslaught of attacks, firing on all cylinders. They continued to inflict relentless hit after hit, until they both stopped and took a quick breather. They both seemed to be brewing something up as they rested. Serena and Shauna screamed their next strategic moves at the top of their lungs and laid their hearts out on the battlefield. Their faces were full of pure raw emotion as they fought as one with their Pokemon. All to make them understand the power that's inside. And then with a final rush of blood, both Pokemon released the power within.

A solar beam and a fire blast came soaring together across the battlefield. Everyone held their breath, as the two surges of energy collided in an explosion and the battlefield disappeared in thick clouds of smoke. But just who had landed the final critical blow? And was this the ultimate decider?