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Chapter 29:
Luxury Cruise I: Rivalries
Tandor Luxury Cruise
"Oh boy, oh boy, I can't believe it! This is a dream come true!" Serena almost squealed.
The group had to wait for quite a big line in order to get on the ship, but after almost an hour, they were finally allowed to climb the stairs that would lead them into the ship. While the mood was overall pretty upbeat, Serena was so giddy, she couldn't even stay still.
"You don't need to tell us," Ash laughed.
"Yes. I don't ever remember seeing you so excited," Clemont pointed out.
"What can I say? I always wanted to go on a cruise, but I never thought I would since they're so expensive..." Serena began.
"Have you gone on a cruise, Lilia?" Ash asked. The "since your family is so wealthy" was left unsaid, but not unheard.
"Not really," the bespectacled girl said. "Then again, we do have a yacht, so I didn't feel the need. Still, I think it will be quite a pleasant experience."
Thankfully for the taller girl, her father allowed her to go on the cruise with Ash and his friends. Her yacht would be waiting for her at the port on Route 8, where the cruise would end its voyage, which would take her back home. Though, in the meantime, she'd enjoy the time she still had with Clemont and the others.
"And after the mess with the Nuclear Pokemon, this is going to feel even better," Serena said, as she and the others finally entered the ship. "What about the rest of you, guys? Ever been on a cruise before?"
Both Clemont and Bonnie shook their heads, while Ash said: "Yeah. Twice, in fact."
"Twice?" Serena repeated.
"Heh, why am I not surprised? It seems like there's nothing Ash hasn't done," Bonnie said.
"Though, I don't know if the first one counts. I was barely there for a day before the ship sunk," Ash said way too nonchalantly.
"It... sunk?" Clemont asked, a little worried.
"Yeah. Team Rocket –the whole organization, not just Jessie, James and Meowth– attacked the ship and tried to steal all the passengers' Pokemon. There was a battle, one thing led to another, and... the ship went down," Ash recounted.
"Pi, pika," Pikachu said, nodding.
"And the second cruise?" Clemont asked.
"It was shortly after the Unova League. I was planning to return to Kanto, and Professor Juniper told me to take this cruise that went through the Decolore Islands," Ash explained, and seeing the somewhat worried looks the others were shooting at him, he added: "This one didn't sink, if that's what you're thinking."
"Good to hear it's not a common occurrence, then," Serena chuckled a little awkwardly.
Clemont nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just because it happened once doesn't mean it's going to happen again. In fact, the chance of a cruise sinking or suffering a similar incident are-"
"Big brother," Bonnie interrupted him in a tone that made it sound like she was the older sibling, as she stared at the inventor with exasperated eyes. "Do NOT finish that sentence."
…
Once inside the ship, a crewmember led them to their cabins. Every member of the group had one, including Bonnie, and they each had two rooms: a large bedroom with a bed, a TV mounted on a wall, a loveseat and a pair of couches and a table with a pair of chairs, and a bathroom. The bedroom also had a large porthole from where the sea could be seen.
Once they checked their cabins and left all their belongings there, and went to the main deck where they were told many trainers were gathering, many of them coordinators preparing for the contest the next day.
"Maybe it would be good for you to go there and scout the competition," Ash suggested. "Maybe even train a little."
"And you aren't suggesting that because you don't want to get into a battle yourself, are you?" Bonnie asked, raising a thin eyebrow as her mouth curved into a smug grin.
"Well, I'd lie if I said I'm not interested in myself, hehe..." Ash sheepishly admitted, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Pikaaa..." Pikachu shook his head.
"It's okay, Ash. I wanted to go to the upper decks to sunbathe a little, but it's a little chilly for that right now," Serena began, reassuring him. "So I'm okay going to the main deck. What about the rest of you?"
"Sure, I don't mind doing either one thing or the other," Clemont said.
"I'm okay with your plan," Lilia agreed.
"As long as we get to see lots of cute Pokemon," Bonnie said.
With that decision made, the group headed towards the main deck. Once there, they were greeted by a large crowd spread among the vast area. Many people were also gathered around small battlegrounds, where several trainers fought against each other. Ash's eyes lit up as if he was a little kid in a recently opened toy store.
"Whoa, look at all those matches going on! Wish I could see all of them!" Ash giddily shouted.
Deciding to just let Ash enjoy himself, the rest of the group followed the excited team along the many battlefields. Still, Serena made sure to take a look at some of the battles going on, and while some were done by trainers, the fighting style used by the Pokemon there told her that their trainers were coordinators.
"Hmmm... perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to train a little for tomorrow's contest..." the honey blonde thought.
"Volchik, Shockwave!"
Her thoughts were interrupted as a familiar voice rose over the noise of the multitude. A voice Serena hadn't heard in quite some time, but one that she wouldn't forget so easily.
"Serena?" Clemont asked. "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Serena ignored Clemont and at a brisk pace, walked towards one of the nearby battlegrounds, one where the voice came from, much to the others' confusion.
"Serena, where are you going?" Ash asked, following her.
"Use Shockwave again, Volchik!" the familiar voice ordered.
"Swabone, block it with Shadow Claw!" another trainer said.
There, fighting against a boy a little older than her, was Sayaka. Her face was frozen into a visage of grim determination as she lead her Pokemon, a plump bird with dark blue feathers, light gray wings, a collar of dark gray feathers around its neck, a tail of the same color that looked as if it was made of storm clouds, and a weird yellow head shaped like a thick lightning bolt.
It was fighting against a Pokemon that reminded Serena of a Cubone, except this one had dark purple skin, had a red bandana around its neck, its left arm was skeletal and its right arm was missing a hand, and a hook in its place. It didn't appear to be doing very well against Sayaka's Volchik.
"Hey, isn't that...?" Bonnie began.
"Sayaka," Serena confirmed.
Of course Sayaka would be here. If the honey blonde remembered correctly, Sayaka came from a wealthy family, and given that there would be a contest held within the ship, she obviously wouldn't miss it.
"Do you guys know that girl?" Lilia asked.
Clemont nodded. "Sayaka is a coordinator we met on Serena's first contest. She beat Serena in the finals. She... Well, she isn't exactly a very nice individual."
"She's a stuck up jerk full of herself that can't stop being mean for five seconds," Bonnie amended, angrily crossing her arms.
"It seems she has a new Pokemon," Ash said, as he pulled out his Pokedex. "Or at least, a Pokemon we have never seen her using before."
"Volchik, the Storm Chick Pokemon. Electric/Flying. They gather together during thunderstorms. Their chirping sounds like static electricity." the Pokedex explained.
"Let's finish this with Dragon Rage!" Sayaka ordered.
Volchik opened its beak, and a torrent of fuchsia and dark blue flames poured from it which washed over its unfortunate enemy.
"Swabone, no!" her opponent, a boy slightly older than her, cried.
Once the flames disappeared, Volchik's opponent, Swabone, laid there motionless. Ash and Serena quickly scanned it before its crestfallen trainer could recall it.
"Swabone, the Swab Pokemon. Ghost/Fighting. A favorite Pokémon of pirates. The bandanna it wears indicates which ship's crew it belongs to. It craves treasure and will hoard any gold and jewels it finds." the Pokedex droned.
"Great job, Volchik. Of course, not that such an unworthy adversary pushed you to fight at your best," Sayaka gloated, much to the disapproval of her defeated opponent and most of the people gathered there. The ninja didn't flinch, if anything she seemed to revel in the scorn that was thrown her way. "Do any of you sad attempts at Pokemon trainers have what it takes to battle against me?"
"Oh, I'm going to shut her up right now!" Serena said, as she stomped towards the battleground.
"Wait a minute, don't-" Lilia tried to stop her, but to no avail.
"Yeah, I will battle against you!" Serena loudly declared.
Dozens of pairs of eyes turned at her as she walked towards the battleground. Sayaka's eyes were wide open, as if she wasn't expecting Serena to be here. However, her surprise was short lived, as smugness made a quick return to the ninja's face, looking as if the holidays came much earlier this year. A look that gave Serena chills. She was now starting to regret letting her rival bait her like that, but sadly, there was no turning back now.
"Well, well, well... Do my eyes deceive me? If it's the Kalosian peasant!" Sayaka laughed. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to find you here of all places, but fate sometimes has a strange sense of humor."
Sayaka's insults did an admirable job reigniting the honey blonde's inner fire. "First of all, the name's Serena. And I'm about to give you the attitude adjustment you've been asking for since we met at Kevlar town!"
"Yeah!"
"Well said!"
"You go, girl!"
"Teach her some humility!"
The onlookers cheering her strengthened her resolve. The voice that tried to warn her not to take the bait was now a forgotten echo in the distance. This. This was what she was meant to do. To put smiles on people's faces. To make people happy. And she would do so by, ironically, wiping out a smile from Sayaka's smug face.
"Look like you got the people's support. Which would mean something if the winner of a match was decided through a popularity contest," Sayaka taunted. "My Volchik has been fighting for quite some time now, but it's still fresh enough to beat whatever Pokemon you send against us. So pick a Pokemon and humiliate yourself in front of the crowd losing against me again."
"Very well!" Serena said, angrily taking out a pokeball. "Selkid, go!"
The pokeball opened after it hit the ground, and the Sea Nymph Pokemon emerged from a burst of light.
"Sel, selkid!" she cried, as she prepared for battle.
Sayaka snorted dismissively. "Seriously? You're going to use a Water-type against an Electric-type? I knew you were a subpar trainer, but I thought that at least you'd understand something as basic as type matchups."
"Type matchups aren't everything! Selkid is strong enough to beat your Pokemon," Serena stated.
"Selkid!" her Pokemon agreed.
"Dear, I'm going to show you the sheer foolishness of deliberately putting yourself at a disadvantage against a superior opponent," Sayaka boasted,while crossing her arms. "I'll be gracious enough to let you attack first."
~Serena (Selkid) VS Sayaka (Volchik)~
"Very well! Selkid, use Hyper-voice!" Serena commanded.
"Sel-KIIIIIIIIID!"
Selkid opened her mouth, letting out a stream of sonic waves that rippled towards the Storm Chick Pokemon. Sayaka didn't look worried in the slightest.
"Counter it with Dragon Rage!" Sayaka ordered.
"Vol, vol!" it chirped, before taking a deep breath. "CHIIIIIIIIK!"
Volchik opened its beak, releasing a torrent of swirling blue and fuchsia flames. The wall of fire crashed against the sonic blast, both attacks canceling each other out in the ensuing explosion.
"Don't give it time to rest, Selkid! Time for Water Pulse!" Serena ordered.
"Sel!" Selkid cried, as she brought her hands together, forming a large orb of water between them before pushing it outwards, sending the liquid orb towards Volchik like a missile.
"Volchik, parry it with Aerial Ace!" Sayaka ordered.
"Vok, chik!" Volchik chirped as it dashed towards the coming orb of water. The Storm Chick Pokemon's wings gleamed with a white shine before delivering a cross-shaped chop at the watery missile, bursting it into thousands of water droplets.
"Good job, Volchik! Now, Discharge!" Sayaka ordered.
"Chik, chiiiik!" Volchik continued to chirp, its body crackling with blue sparks as it built up electricity. Once it was fully charged, it released the electricity in the form of a wave of electricity that traveled towards Selkid.
"Selkid, Ice Beam on the ground in front of you!" Serena replied.
"Seeeeeel!" Selkid opened her mouth, forming an orb of freezing power in front of it, before firing a bluish-white beam towards a spot on the ground, quickly creating a large iceberg in front of her. The incoming lightning bolts crashed against the block of ice, unable to reach Selkid.
"Now, Hyper-voice again!" Serena ordered.
"Seeeeeel-KIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid let out a powerful sonic scream that not only shattered the block of ice in front of her into a thousand shards, the force of the soundwaves sent said shards flying towards Sayaka's Pokemon.
"Chik, chik, chiiik!" Volchik cried in pain as not only was it blasted by a powerful sonic blast, but also pelted by a multitude of razor ice shards.
"Volchik, stand firm!" Sayaka commanded her Pokemon.
"Ha! How does it feel to be beaten by a peasant, huh?" Serena asked.
…
"Whoa! Such a great combination move!" Ash gushed. "Using a barrier of ice as a shield against electricity, then reusing the ice alongside Hyper-voice!"
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu cheered as well.
"Yeah! If this was a real contest, that would have taken a lot of points out of Sayaka," Bonnie pointed out.
"Serena might win this if she keeps up this pace going," Clemont said.
"She might, yes, but I'm not so sure," Lilia said, crossing her arms, her eyes fixed on the match.
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a downer!" Bonnie protested. "Serena has this in the bag!"
"Huh? What do you mean, Lilia?" Clemont asked.
"That girl, Sayaka... from what little I've seen, she loves to both boast and taunt her opponents before a battle and to kick them while they're down after beating them. And she appears to have the skill to back her boasts up," Lilia began. "Serena agreed to battle her clearly affected by her words, and she seems to be running on anger rather than skill. She wants to prove Sayaka wrong at all costs."
Ash weighed in Lilia's words, before directing his eyes towards Serena. The honey blonde's mouth was pressed into a thin line, her brow heavily furrowed, her body completely tensed. She appeared to be focused on the match alone, and in Ash's experience that was good. It would only be a problem the moment Serena's focus shifted from the Pokemon to her opponent.
"Come on Serena, keep going! You're doing great!" Ash cheered, hoping for his words to put her in a better state of mind.
…
"You think you're so good, just because you managed to land a couple of lucky hits? Ha!" Sayaka laughed mirthlessly. "Let me show you how wide the gap in skill and power is between you and me! Volchik, Rain Dance!"
"Chiiii...!" the Storm Chick chirped, as a blue glowing outline surrounded its body.
Gray storm clouds began to form above the battlefield, quickly followed by a shower of raindrops. People began to move back from the battlefield in order not to get drenched.
"Is that girl dumb?"
"Using Rain Dance against a Water-type Pokemon...!"
"What is she trying to do...?"
In another situation, Serena would have thought the same. However, more than a year of traveling with Ash, as well as witnessing and taking part in many battles had honed Serena's strategic mind, and she could easily see what the ninja girl was planning to do.
"I've seen this before, in the battle between Sawyer and Tierno. I might have been genuinely confused by any other Pokemon, but Volchik is part Electric-type. You plan to use the weather for a perfectly accurate Thunder, don't you? Oh well, let's make you think I don't know what you're about to do," Serena smirked confidently. "That was a big mistake, setting heavy rain that benefits my Pokemon but does nothing for yours! Selkid, make her realize that with a Water Pulse!"
"Seeeel...!" Selkid once again formed an orb of water between her hands, this one being noticeably larger than her previous attempts, yet it took Selkid no more effort than usual to launch it at her foe.
"Stop it with Dragon Rage, Volchik!" Sayaka ordered.
"Voooool...!" Volchik took a deep breath, before opening its large beak and releasing a bright torrent of blue and fuchsia flames.
The Water Pulse tore through the wall of fire, losing size and momentum as it did, but in the end it managed to overcome the Dragon-type attack and smacked against Volchik, the orb exploding upon contact, knocking it backwards and leaving it even more drenched. Still, there was still plenty of fight in it, as it jumped back to its feet and shook the excess water from its feathers.
"You think I was stupid setting up this rain, but once again you fail to see more than one step ahead," Sayaka said, as she prepared her move. "And now you're going to pay the price for your shortsightedness! Volchik, Thunder! Fry that fish!"
"Vooool-CHIK!" Volchik's body crackled with blue electricity, before sending it upwards in the form of a thick lightning bolt.
Serena, however, wasn't worried. "Heh, I knew you were going to do that! Selkid, Hyper-voice upwards!"
"SeeeeelKIIIIIIID!" Selkid screamed into the sky, releasing a powerful sonic blast just as a blinding yellow lightning bolt descended from the clouds above her with a thunderclap.
The two attacks clashed, the soundwaves successfully blocking the Thunder, splitting it in smaller electric streams that hit several spots around Selkid, but none close to her.
"What the...?" Sayaka asked.
"Are you surprised it didn't work? What, you thought that I didn't know what you were doing with that Rain Dance? That I haven't seen other people use that tactic before?" Serena asked, the fire within her roaring loudly, unperturbed by the droplets pelting her body.
Sayaka sneered, clearly frustrated that her clever combo hadn't paid off. "This means nothing! We're still going to win! Volchik, Aerial Ace!"
Volchik spread its chubby wings, shining with a white light, as the Storm Chick Pokemon dashed towards Selkid, ready to strike her with an unavoidable swipe.
"Selkid, freeze it on the spot with Ice Beam!" Serena ordered.
Once again, Selkid opened her mouth, releasing a bluish-white beam of freezing power at the incoming Pokemon, foolishly rushing towards the super effective attack.
"Volchik, Dragon Rage on the ground!" Sayaka ordered.
"What?"
"Chiiik!" Volchik did what it was told, releasing yet another stream of purple and blue flames down below, propelling the bird upwards just as the Ice Beam passed below him.
"Selkid, another Ice Beam!" Serena ordered.
"Hurricane!" Sayaka ordered.
As Selkid prepared another freezing ray, the still airborne Volchik began to vigorously beat its wings, quickly, blowing a powerful gust of wind that took the shape of a tornado. Selkid's attack was interrupted as the tornado around her lifted her into the air and violently launched her upwards.
"Seeeeeeeeeeeeel!" Selkid screamed.
"Selkid, no!" Serena cried upon seeing the Sea Nymph Pokemon being buffeted by violent winds as she was pushed upwards.
"It seems you forgot there are more moves besides Thunder that benefit from heavy rain," Sayaka said, her smug smirk returning in full force. "Like I said before, you fail to think more than one step ahead. Volchik, Thunder!"
While Selkid was being launched upwards, Volchik sent yet another lightning bolt towards the dark clouds above, which quickly came crashing down on Selkid, making the Sea Nymph Pokemon scream even louder. Once the two attacks ceased, Selkid's body pummeled down, landing with a loud thud.
"Selkid!" Serena cried again.
Selkid was sprawled on the ground, her body bruised and beaten, her mouth agape and her eyes forming swirls. She had been completely defeated.
The crowd began to murmur, disappointed that Serena hadn't put Sayaka in her place when she was so close to victory. Some managed to send her a few comforting words. Not that they softened the pain of another defeat at the ninja's hands.
"And once again, an unworthy adversary falls before my might. Great job, Volchik, I think you deserve a rest," Sayaka said, returning her Pokemon. "I think I have nothing to worry about tomorrow's contest."
As Sayaka finally left, Serena also recalled her Pokemon. "Come back, Selkid. You did your best."
"Serena!" Ash said, as she walked back towards the group. "I'm sorry for your defeat. Are you okay?"
The honey blonde sighed. "I was hoping I could defeat her this time around. Way to start a pleasure cruise."
"Yeah, you were so close..." Bonnie lamented. She threw a punch forward. "How I wish I could have seen her face after you beat her!"
"I know it's very little consolation, but at least you collected some information on another of her Pokemon," Clemont told her. "If she tries to use that maneuver on you again, you'll be ready."
"Even if it's not much, it's something," Serena admitted. "Let's see more battles. Sayaka isn't the only one taking part in tomorrow's contest."
They all agreed with Serena's idea, and continued walking around the place, taking a look at any battle that might have drawn their interest. Despite doing it mostly for Serena's sake, Ash was the one who looked at the battles with the most interest and excitement, even taking part in a few of them himself, all of them resulting in resounding victories.
Seeing Ash battling and winning encouraged Serena to give another shot at battling somebody here. She ended up facing an older teenage boy that used an imp-like Pokemon with tan-colored skin, purple hands and feet with blood red claws, large red eyes with purple marks around them, purple and red quills on its back, a pointed snout like a beak and a pair of sharp fangs.
"Chupacho, the Bloodsucker Pokemon. Poison. It comes out at night to suck the blood from sleeping prey. Its needles contain a numbing toxin that can incapacitate an enemy in minutes," the Pokedex explained.
Tempting fate once again, Serena chose a Pokemon with a type disadvantage and sent Sylveon out. Thanks to a well timed use of Protect and keeping distance from her foe with Swift and Shadow Ball, Sylveon ended up being the victor.
Her friends cheered her for her victory, which encouraged her to seek more opponents to challenge. She didn't win every battle, but she took every defeat as a learning experience. Plus, the fact that, unlike Sayaka, those who beat her were graceful in victory helped a lot. And while the painful sting of another defeat at Sayaka's hands didn't leave completely, it lessened over time.
"Hey, it's almost noon. Shall we go to the pool area in the upper deck?" Lilia suggested. "With the sun and the heat, it must be lovely there."
"It's noon already?" Serena asked, looking at the time in her Pokegear. "Whoa, I didn't even notice!"
"Time sure flies when you're having a lot of fun, doesn't it?" Ash chuckled.
"Indeed. Though, Lilia is right, I'm sure the upper deck must be-"
"Cararalm, use Crabhammer!" Serena heard somebody say. Somebody whose voice was oddly familiar.
"Wait, that voice..." Serena said, as she began to walk in the direction of the voice. "I think I know it!"
"Hey, where are you going?" Bonnie asked, as she and the others followed the honey blonde, not sure what or who did she hear.
Serena tracked the voice to one of the nearby battlefields, where a dark skinned girl with dreadlocks was facing a redheaded boy of her same age in a battle. The girl was using a Cararalm, while the boy was using a feline, orange furred Pokemon the same size of Orchynx, with red paws and a red mark between its eyes and nose. It had a tail made of flames.
"Flager, the Cub Pokemon. Fire. The size of the flame on their tail indicates if it is close to evolving. Some Flager will intentionally eat flammable items to make it bigger," the Pokedex explained after scanning the new Pokemon.
"Flager, use Flame Impact!" the redheaded boy commanded.
Flager's entire body was coated in a cloak of roaring flames as it shot towards Cararalm like a rocket.
"Cararalm, Guillotine!" the girl commanded.
Cararalm raised one of its pincers, clicking it twice as it shone a bright white light. It slashed Flager with it just as the Cub Pokemon got in range. The attack connected, as Flager was sent tumbling backwards, the coat of flames quickly dispelling. Flager landed on its back, unable to fight anymore.
"A clever use of Guillotine. It's an attack that takes a lot of precision to have any effect, but using it in response to the enemy getting closer that fast increases its chances of success," Clemont began.
"Who is that girl, Serena? Do you know her?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. I met her at the Bealbeach Department Store. She helped me fight the Nuclear Pokemon there," the Kalosian girl explained. As the girl recalled her Cararalm, Serena called her. "Hey there, Leona! Nice battle!"
Upon hearing her name, Leona turned around, a little surprised to see Serena. Though her surprise was short lived, fading into joy as the Alolan girl beamed at her. "Serena! Praise the Tapus, I wasn't expecting to see you here!"
"We weren't expecting to be here either, but we got lucky and somebody got some tickets for us at the last moment," Serena explained. "Guys, this is Leona. She's a coordinator too. Leona, these are my friends Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and Lilia."
"Nice to meet you! If you guys are friends with Serena, then you're my friends too," Leona effusively said.
"If you're also a coordinator, then that means that you and Serena are rivals," Bonnie pointed out.
"I guess you're right," Leona said, before shrugging. "But just because we compete against each other, doesn't mean we can't get along, right?"
"Well said!" Ash said. "By the way, we were going to the pool area in the upper deck. You can join us if you want."
"Really? Don't mind if I do, then! I've been battling all morning, and I could use some relaxin'," Leona said, stretching one arm above her head.
…
Half an hour later, after a trip to the ship's several daycares in order to drop their Pokemon there so they could rest and relax after a morning of battles, the group headed towards the pool area, situated on the upper deck.
"Cannonball!" Both Ash and Bonnie shouted at the same time as they threw themselves at the pool, resulting in one large splash following after another. The two youths resurfaced, laughing merrily as they began to playfully push, shove and splash water on one another.
While Ash and Bonnie had fun in the pool, Serena relaxed in the comfort of her lawn chair. She moaned a little as she stretched her arms, basking in the sun rays falling from above.
Next to Serena was Clemont, also enjoying some quiet time now that Bonnie was entertained with Ash. And to the other side of Clemont laid Lilia. The bespectacled girl's hair was no longer tied in a pair of braids, but was let loose down instead. She was wearing a white bikini with green stripes on it.
And lastly, on the other side of Serena was Leona, sitting on her own beach chair. She was wearing a bright yellow bikini with a sarong.
The group was engaged in a conversation to get to know Leona better. The girl showed some interest in Kalos, considering the idea of heading there once her trip through Tandor reached an end. Given the similarities to contests, Leona was confident that she would do well in showcases.
"So you guys don't have Gym Leaders in Alola?" Clemont asked.
And then it was Leona's turn to talk about her home region. The lack of Gym Leaders was what surprised them the most, given how they were such an expected fixture of any region. Leona explained how they had Island Trials there as a rite of passage all young Alolan trainers went through.
"And once you finish the Trials, then what?" Serena asked.
"In that case, you're recognized as a worthy trainer in the eyes of the Tapus, somebody who loves and protects the islands and the people and Pokemon that live in there," Leona explained. "It's closer to a spiritual journey than the qualifications for any big tournament. Though I heard they were going to implement a League this time around. I'm not sure.
"Not that it would matter to me, since leagues and traditional Pokemon battling aren't my thing. That's why I came here to compete in contests. That's something I enjoy doing a lot."
"Also, these 'Z-crystals' you mentioned... what do they do?" Serena asked.
Leona's mouth curved into a playful smirk. "I could tell you right now but... where would be the fun in that? I'll show you tomorrow during the contest. Make sure you keep a close eye on me during the Appeal Round."
"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Ash asked from within the pool. "Aren't you going to come inside the water?"
"Yeah! You've spent quite a lot of time chattering over there!" Bonnie protested.
"The water does indeed look really good," Leona said. "Come on guys! We already basked in the sunlight enough. Time to get soaked!"
"Alright then," Serena said.
"I think I could use a cool bath to fight off the heat," Lilia added.
"You guys go and have fun. I think I'll stay here," Clemont said.
However, before the blond could say anything, Leona pretty much appeared in front of him and pulled him by the wrist towards the pool.
"Nope, you don't, mister! You come to the water with the rest of us!" Leona cheerfully said.
"Wait! I don't get a say in this?" Clemont protested, as he futilely struggled against the much stronger Alolan girl. "Lilia, help!"
"I'm sorry Clemont, but I'm on her side," Lilia cheekily said, before she and the other girls jumped to the water.
…
The group spent the best part of the afternoon having fun at the pool, including Clemont, despite his initial protests. Once they decided they had enough fun, they returned to the daycare to retrieve their Pokemon and went to one of the many restaurants on the ship in order to have dinner, where they got to know Leona better, the Alolan trainer telling them even more about her home region.
While she didn't mean any offense to her new friend and rival, Serena was only paying half of her attention to what the Alolan girl said; her other half of her attention was on an entirely different subject.
"My early loss notwithstanding, we had a lot of fun today. The mood is perfect. This is the most ideal time and place to make my move. No more excuses, no more delays!" Serena thought, as she glanced at Ash from time to time when she believed no one was looking at her.
Once the dinner was over, Leona announced that she would be returning to her cabin and go to bed early, in order to get plenty of rest for tomorrow's contest.
"And maybe you should too. If we're going to compete against each other, I want you to be at your best!" the Alolan trainer had said before leaving.
"Maybe we should heed her advice and go to bed early as well. We had quite the day," Clemont suggested.
"Good idea," Ash agreed. "And Serena isn't the only one who needs a good night of sleep. I want to be at my best to cheer her up and see her winning her fourth ribbon!"
"Pi, pikachu!" Pikachu cried in agreement.
Serena couldn't help but smile at Ash's earnest enthusiasm in his support of her. "Well, with you cheering for me, how can I lose?" she giggled.
The group headed out of the restaurant and on the outside deck as they walked towards their cabins. The night air was surprisingly warm, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, allowing the moon and the stars in the sky to be seen in all their beauty, which prompted a lot of people to take a walk on the deck to enjoy the pleasant night.
Serena couldn't help but notice that there were many couples around them.
"That's it. Before this cruise comes to an end, I will tell Ash how I feel," Serena thought. She was tempted to tell him right here and right now, but she thought it was better than doing it in front of their friends and on the night before a contest. "I'll do it after the contest. No more delays, and I'll make sure we won't be interrupted. Though, maybe Ash doesn't want to-"
Serena's thoughts were interrupted when two of her pokeballs opened on their own all of sudden, releasing Selkid and Quetzoral. Ash's Aveden had also come out of his pokeball on his own.
"Guys? What's going on? Why did you come out?" Ash asked. The boy from Pallet wasn't somebody to get mad if their Pokemon decided to get out of their pokeballs without him telling them first, but if they did so, he worried over the reason.
They didn't answer. In fact, they didn't even look like they were listening to him. Then, the three of them went in the opposite direction they were walking to.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Serena asked, as she and the others chased after them.
Their worry increased. The three Pokemon didn't look like they had decided to run away from them for no reason, but they were clearly going somewhere. After turning at a corner, they saw a small multitude of people and Pokemon gathered around something. They could also hear some music coming from within the crowd.
"What's that music?" Bonnie asked.
"It sounds like a harp or a lyre," Lilia said. "Maybe the cruise also has musicians on deck?"
"Maybe that's what drew the Pokemon's attention? The music?" Clemont guessed.
"That has to be quite the hearing they have. I didn't start to hear it until we saw that crowd," Ash said.
As they got closer to the crowd, they could see who was playing: a tall and pretty looking man, with a pretty face and a long mane of black hair, with a long bang covering half his face. His clothing was rather quaint and downright anachronistic: the man was wearing a mint green vest, tan pants, forest green boots, and a green cloak over his body tied with a red brochure. He was playing a golden lyre shaped like the Pokemon Mew, which was holding a Keystone between its hands.
In short, the man looked like a bard from a past time.
People and Pokemon listened wordlessly to the man's slow and pleasant tune, some of the Pokemon bobbing with the rhythm. The only thing that could be heard was Ash's quietly gasping upon seeing the man, as his eyes glinted with recognition.
Though, not all Pokemon remained silent: Selkid took no time to join the bard as she intoned a song that matched the melody played by him, with Quetzroal and Aveden joining shortly after her, the three Pokemon singing in unison. The bard didn't seem to mind, and in fact he appeared to appreciate the trio of singers' unasked intervention.
The song went for a couple more minutes. Once the bard stopped playing, so did the Pokemon stopped singing, causing people to clap and cheer at them.
"Thank you. I'm honored by your ovation," the bard said, making a polite bow at the crowd.
"I can't believe it!" Ash excitedly said as he walked towards the man. "Nando! Oh boy, I wasn't expecting to see you here!"
"Ash Ketchum," the bard, Nando, replied as his mouth slightly curved into a smile. "I must say I'm just as surprised to see you here as well. Though I'm happy to see that our paths crossed after the last time we met," his eyes then drifted towards Ash's friends behind him. "And I see that you travel with a new group of companions. I presume that Dawn and Brock left to pursue their own endeavors elsewhere?"
"Ash, do you know this guy?" Bonnie asked.
"Oh, yeah! Guys, this is Nando! He's both a trainer and a coordinator! I met him when I traveled through Sinnoh. We even fought in the Pokemon League," Ash stated.
"Where my Pokemon sadly fell before the might of Ash's," Nando reminisced.
"Nando, these are Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Lilia!"
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Nando said, bowing again. "I hope you also enjoyed the song I just played, even if you only heard half of it. Then again, I'm flattered to see that your Pokemon liked it enough to join in themselves."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ash apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "We didn't ask them to intrude in your performance."
"No apologies needed, my friend. Like I just said, I feel honored to see that my music inspired these Pokemon to join me in an improvised concert," the bard insisted.
"Sel, selkid!"
"Ave!"
"Tzoral!"
"It was beautiful. You're a really talented musician," Serena praised him. "Though, Ash said you are a coordinator? Does this mean that you will take part in tomorrow's contest?"
Nando shook his head. "While I'm a coordinator, I no longer take part in contests, given that I won the Ribbon Cup at the Sinnoh Grand Festival a year ago." The bard smiled in a rather enigmatic way before adding: "Though I will be present in tomorrow's contest, I can guarantee you that."
"Okay...?" Serena asked, not sure what he meant by that.
"So, you're a Top Coordinator now? Awesome!" Ash said. "I guess that you'll be focusing on winning a League now, right?"
"You'd be partially accurate in that. While it is indeed my current focus, I must say I also won the Lily of the Valley Conference," Nando said.
"You won a Pokemon League too!? Man, I better step up my game, or else all my rivals are going to leave me in the dust!" Ash said.
"Though, I must admit that, without you, Paul, and that Tobias individual, the level of the League wasn't quite as high as the year you competed in," Nando told Ash. "Plus, my victory at the League wasn't that meaningful in the long run, given that I fell before Flint, the very first Elite Four member I challenged."
"Flint? Ouch," Ash winced in sympathy. He then leaned towards his friends and whispered. "Flint is a Fire-type specialist, and Nando here specializes in Grass and Bug-types."
"Ouch," Bonnie echoed.
"So, if you're here, I guess you are going to take on the Tandor League like me?" Ash asked.
"I'd love to, especially now that I see that you're going to take part, but alas, that's not why I'm here. I only came to this cruise because somebody invited me to," Nando explained. "After that, I'll take a ferry to the Unova region."
"Ah, Unova. Been there sometime ago. It has lots of cool people and Pokemon. I'm sure going to love it," Ash told him.
"If you say so, then I have no choice but believe you, don't I?" Nando asked. "Though, I hope you don't mind if I retire for the night. I imagine I'll see you at tomorrow's contest," he then looked at Serena. "And given that you're going to take part in it, I bid you the best of luck."
"Thank you. We were also heading back to our cabins. See you tomorrow, Mr. Nando!" Serena said, bidding the bard goodbye.
With that, Ash and Serena returned their Pokemon to their pokeballs, and the group finally made their way back to their cabins.
"Boy, such a surprise seeing Nando here," Ash said. "It's a pity he isn't taking part in the contest, he's a very talented coordinator. I would have loved to see you face him."
"I believe you. Still, I have enough on my plate with Sayaka and Leona, so forgive me if I say that I'm glad I don't have to face a man skilled enough to become a Top Coordinator and win a Pokemon League in the same year."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Ash said.
"Still, I'm going to make sure to put on such a great show your friend will be impressed," Serena said, her voice full of resolve.
Yes, Serena was determined to make tomorrow's contest an unforgettable one.
And one way or another, it would be.
Author's Note: And here's the first part of the Luxury Cruise three parter! Hope it did a good job setting up expectationg for the next chapters to come and left you wanting for more.
For the record, I want to assure you that Serena WILL confess her feelings to Ash after the contest is over. I can guarantee you 100% that nothing unexpected will happen that will interrupt her or stop her from doing so like that time on the beach. I'm aware that we're quite a lot of chapters and words into this story, and some of you are getting a little antsy over the slow progress.
Many of you guessed that Sayaka would return for this contest, and you were right! I think it was time for the ninja to make her grand return, given that she's been no less than 25 chapters absent. Still, I'm happy that she made such an impression that so many of you were expecting her back at some point. And as you can see, she hasn't been wasting her time, given that her arrogance matches her skill.
But I'm pretty sure that none of you guessed that it would bring Nando back for this arc. Not gonna lie, it was a little self indulgent on my part, since Nando was by far my favorite of the DP Rivals, and I felt that if somebody should have won the Ribbon Cup other than Dawn, it should have been him (but they instead have Zoey win, which I find the blandest of the DP rivals). I'm pretty sure you can imagine what Nando's role in this arc is going to be ;)
Now, I know a lot of people are going to wonder if more characters from past seasons like Nando are going to make a return: I have planned for two other past rivals to make a return, but they won't be appearing anytime soon. Other than that, no character from past seasons, be traveling companions, rivals or Characters of the Day will make a return to this story.
Thanks to Fox McCloude, MegaSalamence64, Timmy, 61394, hirowriter and Viroro-kun for reviewing last chapter, and special thanks to Viroro-kun for his awesome job as a betareader, whose edits and suggestions made this chapter so much better.
Next chapter, Serena will be competing for her fourth ribbon, but she not only will have to deal with Sayaka, but Leona as well. In the meantime, don¡t forget to drop a review.