Ash felt his footing become more and more solid as he got closer and closer to the outskirts of Snowbelle City, feeling the snow dampening his step become less and less obnoxious. He soon spotted Chloe and Dawn quietly waiting for him and Pikachu at the entrance of the city.
As Ash huffed and puffed towards them, admittedly a little surprised at how much energy the two had to have run all the way down the hill so quickly, he called out to them, a little out of breath.
"Would it kill you guys to… slow down a bit!? The Showcase isn't going anywhere!" Ash exclaimed, mostly to Dawn, knowing she had practically dragged Chloe here slightly against the girl's will. Ash didn't get a response but saw Chloe and Dawn share a look at each other, causing him to frown.
"Why are you guys looking–
Before he could even finish his sentence, Dawn and Chloe, in the blink of an eye, pulled out a snowball each from behind their backs and chucked them right at him. Pikachu was quick enough to react and hopped off Ash's shoulder before he could get caught in the crossfire.
Ash wasn't so lucky.
"... at me like that…" Ash finished his sentence, his words partially muffled by the pile of snow covering his face, as Dawn and Chloe burst out laughing, much to his annoyance.
"That's for making us wait down here so long, you Slowpoke!" Dawn said, trying her best to contain her laughter but failing horribly.
"You really need to stop zoning out so much!" Chloe added, clutching her stomach to contain her laughs.
"Yeah, yeah whatever…" Ash mumbled through the giggles and laughs of his friends, as Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder and helped him get rid of the remains of Dawn and Chloe's snowy assault. Ash thanked his partner Pokemon, before sighing.
He just had to jinx it earlier.
"Alright, we can finally get a move on!" Dawn said, having finally finished her laughing fit, as she excitedly pumped her fist in the air.
"Let's go check in at the Pokemon Center first, then we can take a look around!" Chloe said, seemingly feeding off of Dawn's energetic attitude.
Ash stifled a laugh, finding it quite funny how Dawn could break Chloe's naturally calm shell rather easily. "Right then, lead the way you two." He said as he allowed his two friends to take the lead.
The trio began their journey towards the Pokémon Center, though not without marvelling at the picturesque snowy town that surrounded them. Despite its size, the city bustled with life, so they were pretty glad the Pokemon Center had a pretty big sign to indicate where it was or else they would've surely gotten lost amidst the bustling streets. Ash noted they seemed to have built another, bigger, Pokemon Center in the heart of the city to accommodate tourists. He figured they thought the Pokemon Center in Snowbelle City he knew from his previous trip to Snowbelle City, located on the outskirts of the city near the Pokemon Gym, was too far from the main district.
He couldn't help but be surprised again by how much the city was different from the memories he had from his last visit as he walked slightly behind Dawn and Chloe. That or he just was too focused on other things at the time to even take in the full beauty of Snowbelle City. He was hoping to make up for that this time.
The trio swiftly arrived at the Pokemon Center after a few minutes of walking and booked a room to have for the remainder of their trip. They left most of their belongings, which weren't much to begin with, in their room, and after a few minutes, the group met up at the lobby of the Pokemon Center, planning their next move.
"Looks like we still have some time to kill, what should we do?" Chloe asked as she looked out the window, noting the sun hadn't even started to set, so they still had the rest of the day ahead of them.
"We could check out the-
"Let's do some window shopping!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed, cutting Ash off. Chloe's eyes lit up at Dawn's words and Ash and Pikachu knew they were done for.
"Or we could do that…" Ash mumbled, sighing, as Pikachu copied his trainer.
Without further notice, Dawn and Chloe rushed out of the Pokemon Center, as a slightly annoyed Ash and Pikachu reluctantly followed behind.
The group quickly found their way to the main shopping district, a wide street with a plethora of shops and stores for just about anything they could ever want. Clothes, accessories, shoewear, it was all here.
As Ash somewhat tried to follow his two companions, he found himself distracted by observing the people in Snowbelle City. The city was pretty packed, probably more so than usual due to the Showcase happening the next day. It was nice, people and Pokemon were running around happily and gleefully going about their day, enjoying the tiny amount of snow falling from the sky. Ash smiled, trying his best to forget about his problems and enjoy his surroundings, opting to take inspiration from the people in Snowbelle.
"Hey, Ash! Me and Chloe are going to take a look inside!" Dawn screamed, a little ahead of a slightly distracted Ash, at the entrance of one of the multiple shops.
"I-I'm coming!" Ash replied as he picked up his pace a little to catch up to his friends.
He was left a bit stunned once he reached the entrance of the shop Dawn and Chloe entered a few moments ago, seeing a dazzling display of colours and styles, with racks of clothing and shelves of accessories lining the walls from the outside glass window. Even Ash had to admit things did look pretty interesting.
Ash entered the building, where he spotted Chloe immediately gravitate towards a rack of vibrant scarves, her eyes sparkling with interest as she ran her fingers over the soft fabrics.
"These scarves are so cute!" she exclaimed, holding up a particularly fluffy pink one for inspection. "What do you think, Dawn!?"
"It looks awesome, you should totally buy it!" Dawn said, before her eyes caught sight of a display of sparkly hair accessories, her eyes alight with excitement as she examined the glittering clips and ribbons. "Look at these ribbons, Chloe! They would look so cute for my contests!" she exclaimed, holding up a bundle of rainbow-coloured ribbons for Chloe to see.
Ash and Pikachu lingered near the entrance, watching their friends with amusement. "They sure seem to be having fun." He remarked with a chuckle. Pikachu simply nodded in agreement.
Ash, despite his initial reluctance, figured he should check out what the rest of the store had to offer, figuring it'd probably be a good idea to bring back a souvenir for his mom, or Goh, or his Pokemon.
A good amount of time passed as Chloe and Dawn were lost in the shopping spree, and Ash mostly wandered around aimlessly, not really finding anything of note. He eventually met up with Dawn and Chloe a bit later, his two friends having bought quite a few items already.
"Looks like window shopping turned into a full-blown spree…" Chloe said with a laugh, as they exited the shop.
"We're just getting started!" Dawn exclaimed just as she spotted something in the corner of her eye that caught her attention, a few dresses on another window displayed a little further up the road. She quickly ran towards it, Ash and Chloe following closely behind as the girl took off without warning.
"Woah, look at this dress!" Dawn squealed, putting her hands on the window in awe of the majestic costumes on display.
Ash glanced at the dress and narrowed his eyes slightly, swearing he had seen that type of design before, but not quite remembering where.
"Wow… I wonder who must've made it." Chloe expressed out loud.
"Valerie made it as a part of her winter collection! She's a well-known fashion designer and also a Gym Leader, her designs are just out of this world!" A sudden voice piped up behind Ash, Dawn and Chloe, surprising them a little. "These dresses were inspired by the beauty of Snowbelle City itself. The intricate lace detailing and flowing silhouette bring out a sense of grace and charm, while the subtle touches of sparkle add a touch of magic!"
They all turned to find a long pink-haired girl with big glasses looking at them with a warm smile. Dawn and Chloe looked at her a little in awe, intrigued and impressed by the sudden arrival's impressive knowledge of the dresses, whilst Ash narrowed his eyes slightly at the girl.
'Haven't I… seen her before?' He thought as he tried to remember why the girl looked so familiar to him.
"Wow, you sure know a lot about Kalos fashion!" Dawn said with a smile, wondering if the girl worked in fashion herself. "Do you work in the fashion industry?"
"Eh… something like that I suppose." The girl replied with a bit of uncertainty. She turned her head slightly and instantly recognized the boy who was eyeing her suspiciously, as a surprise came to her face. "Oh my! If it isn't, Ash! I didn't expect to see you here of all people!"
Chloe and Dawn looked at Ash, surprised to see she recognized him. Ash still had the same expression on his face, the cogs in his brain turning, trying to remember where he had met the girl before.
'Pink hair… big glasses…' Ash said in his mind, as he continued trying to figure out why the girl, who apparently knew who he was, looked so familiar. She had a certain style that was really peculiar and noteworthy, surely he should remember who she was…
The girl waved at Ash with a smile after a moment, and it took a second, but the latter finally remembered, his eyes widening upon realizing who it was. He pointed at her, shocked, with a bewildered expression on his face. "Wait a second! You're A-Aria…"
The girl raised her eyebrows, subtly holding a finger up to tell Ash to keep quiet. Ash quickly realized his mistake and tried to salvage it.
"...na! Ariana!" Ash cleared up, stumbling on his words a little, trying his best to keep cool. Ash saw the slight relief in Aria's eyes and was glad he realized she was in her disguise pretty quickly.
As Dawn and Chloe looked at Ash, confused, Ariana chuckled a little, before saying. "Long time no see, Ash!"
"Same here!"
"Do you know her, Ash?" Chloe suddenly asked, wondering if he had met her in the past.
Ash glanced at Ariana, a little uncomfortably, as he said. "Y-Yeah! Kind of… I met her a few times whilst I was travelling in Kalos!"
"So Ash, what brings you Snowbelle City?" Ariana asked, curious as to why he was in the Kalos region in the first place as well.
"We're here to see the Pokemon Showcase!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed, a huge grin on her face.
"Oh, really…! That's wonderful!" Ariana said, glancing at Ash for the briefest of moments.
"Oh, yeah! Aria…na, these are my friends Dawn and Chloe! Dawn and Chloe, this is Ariana." Ash said, almost forgetting to introduce his two friends to Aria, though it was kind of weird introducing someone as well-known as her…
"Lovely to meet you!" Ariana expressed, as Dawn and Chloe reciprocated the thought.
"Dawn and Chloe have never seen a Showcase before, so they wanted to come to Kalos to see one, and I'm just sort of tagging along." Ash explained, opting not to reveal to Aria the real reason he was dragged here for now.
"That's great! Showcases are truly something to be experienced by everyone!"
"Do you know a lot about Showcases, Ariana?" Chloe couldn't help but ask, intrigued.
"Some would say so…" Ariana first said indecisively, as Ash and Pikachu gave a deadpanned look. "I'm actually here to see the Showcase myself, I was just doing some shopping in the meantime!"
"So were we, you should totally join us!" Dawn insisted, wanting to ask Ariana more questions about Showcases and Kalos fashion.
"I suppose I could! If it's no bother of course…" Ariana replied cheerfully, looking at Ash and Chloe to see their opinion.
"Of course, you can join us!"
"The more the merrier!"
Chloe and Ash reassured Ariana respectively. Ariana smiled but was caught off guard as Dawn excitedly took her arm and dragged her into the shop. Ash, Pikachu and Chloe looked at each other, shrugged at Dawn's weird nature, and followed her and Ariana into the shop.
"Sylveon, jump and finish with Fairy Wind!"
Sylveon swiftly turned around and jumped in a smooth motion, before putting her feelers together, the air around her starting to glow a light blue. The Pokemon let out a cry before spreading its feelers wide open and shooting a pink gust of wind into the air, before exploding into sparkly dust that fell beautifully onto the stage.
Serena was awed at the display of her Sylveon and quickly went to her Pokemon, hugging her as she landed back on the stage. "Wow, that was great Sylveon, your Fairy Wind is getting bigger and brighter every day!"
Sylveon nuzzled her trainer as the latter embraced her, causing Serena to laugh at her Pokemon's affection. Serena turned her head to where the Fairy Wind exploded, smiling at the sparkly remains, before she noticed in the corner of her eye her two other Pokemon, Pancham and Delphox, run towards her.
"Great job, everyone, we're going to blow everyone out of the water tomorrow!" She exclaimed as she clapped her hands excitedly, earning a crowd of cheers from her Pokemon.
Serena laughed, before turning her head towards the empty crowd and smiling as she imagined the packed crowd watching her and her Pokemon perform tomorrow. Even after all this time as a Performer, nothing beat the thrill she got when she got on stage… especially ones as beautiful as the one she was currently on; the main stage at the newly built Snowbelle City Showcase Theater.
Having arrived at the Showcase Theater a little earlier with Aria and safely registering for the Showcase that would happen tomorrow, Serena was informed by the staff they would give each Performer a little time to practice on the main stage since this would be the first Showcase held in the new theatre and they wanted to let Performers get used to the stage.
After saying her temporary goodbyes to Aria, who wanted to take a look around Snowbelle City whilst she practiced, Serena only had to wait a little while before it was her turn to practice on the stage alone with her Pokemon, and she was glad she did, as the stage was something that admittedly caught her a bit off guard.
Whilst the crowd and judges panel were beautifully covered by a beautiful black and white dome, mirroring the feel and look of the rest of the Showcase Theater, the main stage was set in the open air, letting the cold air and the snow from Snowbelle City roam free. She had performed on open-air stages before, but never in snowy conditions. She figured they wanted to test the performers' ability to perform in different conditions, though she was willing to admit she wasn't the biggest fan of it.
Serena felt herself shiver from the cold, as she was still wearing her casual outfit without her coat, which proved to be not the smartest decision, but she needed to get used to it. Sylveon worriedly nuzzled her trainer again, sensing her trainer feeling a little chilly.
"Thanks, Sylveon!" Serena said as she held one of Sylveon's feelers affectionately. Serena looked up to the sky, frowning a little as she saw snow continuously fall onto the stage. She couldn't imagine the workers here being very happy at the idea of cleaning the stage every so often due to too much snow accumulating on the floor.
"Who thought this was a good idea…" Serena wondered out loud with a laugh, finding it more funny than annoying. The performance was going to prove quite the challenge, but she was up for it!
"Excuse me." A voice suddenly called from behind Serena. She turned around to see a woman standing by the staff door leading to the stage. "Miss Serena, unfortunately, your time is up, we have to let the next performer practice with the stage now."
"Alright!" Serena said with a nod, as she recalled her Pokemon to their respective Pokeballs, thanking them for a good practice session, before heading towards the door and following the staff member backstage.
The woman led Serena all the way back to the lobby, where she stopped and said, "You are free to use the practice stages if you desire to refine your performances a bit. Just ask one of the receptionists to book you a session and we'll be at your service!" The woman said with a smile, as she pointed to the multiple receptionists in the lobby, already quite busy attending to other performers.
"Perfect! Thank you so much!" Serena thanked the woman, who bowed before taking her leave. Serena stretched her arms a bit, sore from all the training and opted to walk around the theatre for a bit. She considered joining up with Aria to explore the city, but as she was walking she remembered something else she needed to do.
'Oh! I should probably go check out the outfits they have here!' She thought. She usually would just buy the outfits she wore in her Performances or Contests but she figured there was no harm in checking out the outfits they lend here, they were usually pretty high quality and usually fit the theme of the city.
She quickly made her way to the section of the Showcase Theater where the outfits were on display, where she was greeted by the staff again, offering to help her pick out an outfit. She politely declined, saying she was just taking a look around.
Gleefully walking around, she was surprised to find the impressive assortment of dresses and outfits, though mostly were quite big or puffy, probably so the performers wouldn't be too cold, which she thought was pretty understandable.
"Wow, some of these are pretty nice!" Serena admitted out loud. Even if no outfits really jumped at her to use for the Showcase, she could see the appeal of them, and it was pretty fun to take a look around. She had gotten so used to using the outfits she bought herself or that people made for her that it was refreshing to take a look at the outfits the Showcase Theater had available. It reminded her of when she first started performing and used to love looking around at all the outfits they lend. The only recent time she remembered checking out the outfits they lent was when she met Chloe…
Serena abruptly stopped walking as her thoughts drifted back to that fateful day in Hoenn not too long ago. She had a wonderful meeting with a nice girl named Chloe who was participating in a Contest for the first time. It was nice being seen as a mentor for a day, but that palled in comparison to what happened at the end of that day…
Serena put a hand on her heart, a smile growing on her face as she remembered who else she saw that day, the memory of him smiling at her as he drifted off into the sea on that cruise etched into her mind.
She giggled, finding it funny how that one brief yet magical reunion had changed so much for her in so little time since then, kind of like the first time they met.
Serena searched through the pocket of her skirt, before pulling out a particular ribbon that meant so much to her. Even after all this time, the object was sparkling clean, she made sure of it.
'Ash…'
Serena unconsciously started twisting her fingers in between the ribbon, as she continued walking around, albeit her mind was not too preoccupied with finding an outfit. Her thoughts drifted to wondering what a certain raven-haired trainer was doing right now…
"Mhmm… This is so good!"
"I can't believe I've never tried these!"
Dawn and Chloe squealed as they tasted the small cake-like confection, causing Ariana and Ash to laugh a little, as Ariana said, "I know right!? Nothing beats the taste of a good Poké Puff!"
"Seriously, I'm gonna have to learn how to make these, my stomach's never gonna want to go back to Poffins!" Dawn admitted as she couldn't help but steal Pikachu's half-eaten Poké Puff, much to the Pokemon's annoyance. He abandoned the thought of stealing it back the moment he saw Dawn eat it in a single bite, sighing in defeat. Ash comforted his Pokemon by giving a half of his own Poké Puff.
"Aren't Poffins just for Pokemon?" Chloe asked as she took another bite of her delicacy, swearing Poffins were only edible for Pokemon.
"Depends on the type of Poffin, but hey, if it tastes good, what's the problem!" Dawn replied, still completely amazed by her Poké Puffs.
"I've never tried a Poffin, I'd love to taste one!" Ariana said as Dawn glanced at her with nothing but disbelief in her eyes.
"You've never tried a Poffin!?" She screamed a little too loud, as she caught the attention of several other people in the bakery the group was at. "Ariana… you and I are gonna have a cooking class soon!"
"Count me in!"
Ash sweatdropped at Dawn's antics as the conversation naturally flowed between his three friends. He was happy to see Dawn and Chloe get along so well with Aria.
It was now pretty late, around sunset, and, after an afternoon of shopping, shopping and more shopping, the group consisting of Ash, Dawn, Chloe and Aria, still disguised as Ariana, were taking a break to try out some Poké Puffs at a nearby bakery. Safe to say Dawn and Chloe enjoyed this little break very much.
Throughout the afternoon after meeting Aria disguised as Ariana, Ash was given a lot of time to think, seeing the girls' insatiable shopping spree, and he mainly spent it trying to figure out why Aria was here in Snowbelle City.
From the limited information he knew, Aria was still very much the famous Kalos Queen he had always known her as, so he assumed pretty quickly she didn't come to compete in the Showcase he and his friends were visiting. That being said, the only reasons he could find as to why she would be here were that either she came to perform an exhibition show or to judge, neither of which he could come to a conclusive definitive. He had wanted to talk to her about it but hadn't got the chance yet, seeing her being kept busy by Dawn and Chloe's excessive shopping.
"Phew… I'm full." Dawn finally said, leaning back on her chair almost in a food coma, as the rest of the group sighed.
"Let's get going then, I saw a poster saying that they were having a special event soon near the fountain in the middle of the city that I wanted to check out!" Chloe abruptly said.
"Right then, lead the way, Chloe!" Ariana replied, earning a smile from the maroon-haired girl, as she and the rest of the group made their way out of the bakery.
As the group was making their way down to the heart of a still-bustling city, Ash found himself lagging a bit behind his three companions. He watched as Dawn, Chloe and Ariana started talking about the Showcase tomorrow and smiled, happy to know he had some help in introducing Chloe and Dawn to contests, before looking up at the sky, appreciating the orange sun setting in the distance.
A sudden booming sound to Ash's right caught his attention, causing him to glance in that direction. He narrowed his eyes for a bit, trying to see where the sound was coming from, and abruptly stopped walking as he spotted a battle going on at the end of the road, not that far away from him.
He noticed a rather large crowd gathered up around a battlefield surrounded by snowy trees. The battlefield was in the middle of a small park, where a bunch of people were watching a trainer with a Snover and another trainer with a Fletchinder with a burning passion. Ash laughed, as it looked like the trainer with the Snover had his work cut out for him considering the unfortunate type match-up.
However, his smile faded rather quickly as he resumed walking, remembering his training issues, something which he had unsuccessfully managed to keep out of his mind for the entire day. He tried his best not to think about it, but he couldn't help it. The looming thought of the Masters Tournament was stuck in the back of his mind, as memories from his awful training sessions constantly plagued his mind.
Ash sighed, trying not to envision his failures at the Masters Tournament. He could barely keep up with Goh in multiple sparring sessions this week, he couldn't imagine what would happen when he faced anyone from the Masters Eight like this…
Unknowingly to Ash, Aria, still talking to Dawn and Chloe, was looking at Ash from over her shoulder. She hummed, wondering if something was up, just as Dawn abruptly spoke.
"Oh! Look guys! I think they're having a magic show!" She exclaimed pointing at the tiny stage in front of the fountain at the heart of the city. "Come on, let's get a better view!"
Without another word, Dawn took the closest person to her by the arm, which unfortunately was Chloe, and ran towards the already quite packed crowd, hoping to get a better view.
Chloe almost tripped as she felt herself suddenly being forced forwards, causing the girl to yelp, before screaming at her friend. "Why do you always have to drag me everywhere!?"
Ash, having just caught up to the rest of the group, deadpanned as she saw Chloe being forced against her will to run in the direction of the crowd a little further in the distance. "Man, poor Chloe…"
"That Dawn girl sure can be quite the handful…" Aria said, earning another sigh from Ash.
"Tell me about it…" Was all Ash replied, as he and Aria slowly started to make their way closer to the crowd.
"So, Ash…" Aria started after a moment, causing Ash to look at her as they continued walking. "I hear you've been making quite the waves in the World Coronation Series."
Ash's eyes widened, surprised. "Really? You have?"
"Of course! It's the biggest battle tournament in the world and word gets around fast, and I have to say, I was surprised to hear your name when they announced the Masters Eight for this season. You've become quite the talk here in Kalos!"
"S-Seriously!?... Man, to be honest, I don't know how I feel about that…"
Aria raised an eyebrow seeing Ash's mood drop a little, but before she could ask him about it, he said, "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to meet the Kalos Queen here in Snowbelle. Are you here to perform the opener for the Showcase tomorrow?"
"No, not this time, I actually came to see the new Showcase Theater. They built this one not too long ago and the higher-ups in the Showcase Circuit asked me to review it to see if it performed well."
"Oh, that makes sense." Ash said, completely buying her excuse, causing Aria to bite her lip a little.
She felt a bit bad for lying to Ash about the real reason she was here, but she really wanted to confirm something before she revealed why she was truly attending the Showcase.
"You know, I figured someone like you would be quite busy training for the Masters Tournament right now. I know you said earlier you just came to accompany your friends, but is that the only reason you came to see the Showcase?"
"Well…" Ash said, a bit uncomfortable, intriguing Aria further and giving her a bit of hope. "The truth is, I didn't even know they're was a Showcase happening here…"
Aria arched an eyebrow, but let Ash continue. Ash seemed a bit hesitant but continued explaining regardless. "I actually wasn't planning on coming here at all, Dawn and Chloe sort of forced me to tag along. You see… I've been having some… issues with my training, I've been overthinking a lot and, to be honest… the Masters Eight has me really nervous…"
"I see…" Aria's expression softened as Ash spoke, feeling a bit bad for the trainer. She could tell by the way he talked about it that he was going through a rough time.
"...Chloe and another friend of mine were trying to snap me out of it, and Chloe eventually invited me to come with her and Dawn to see a Showcase to get my mind off things. So I guess that's the main reason I'm here… hasn't been working too well so far though…"
"Sounds rough… if it's any support, I'm sure you'll get over it soon!" Aria said supportively, earning a small smile from Ash.
"Thanks, Aria."
Aria abruptly smirked and put a finger on her chin, seemingly in deep thought, making Ash a bit confused. "You know… a certain someone keeps telling me you're the best at coming back stronger when you're down! I'm sure you'll be fine!"
Ash twisted his head, confused, but before he could ask who Aria was talking about, the pink-haired girl spoke up again. "Anyways, come on! Dawn and Chloe are waiting, and I'm dying to see this magic show!" She said as she ran a bit in front of Ash, the smirk not leaving her face.
Ash reached out to her as he saw Aria suddenly run towards the crowd abruptly. "Hey! Wait up, Aria!?"
He didn't get a reply, as Aria pretended not to have heard him. Ash sighed, glancing at Pikachu on his shoulder. "I think Dawn is rubbing off on her…"
"Pika…"
Ash reluctantly picked up the pace and chased after his friends. Aria looked over her shoulder again and couldn't help but let out a giggle. He didn't seem to know after all…
'Tomorrow is going to be quite the surprise…!'
"Man, that magician was awesome!" Dawn squealed with stars in her eyes, remembering the show the group had watched a while ago. "I can't believe he could make his Pokemon disappear in an instant!"
Chloe gave Dawn a look as she heard Ash and Ariana laugh, before saying, "Hate to break it to you, Dawn… but I'm pretty sure the first move Abra can even learn is Teleport…"
Dawn frowned and glared at Chloe as soon as she uttered her words, causing the latter to flinch a little in surprise. "Of course I know that. Geez, you're such a party pooper, Chloe…" Dawn said in a dead tone.
"S-Sorry!"
The group shared another hearty laugh as they continued walking back towards the Pokemon Center, having ended their day exploring Snowbelle City.
It was now nighttime, allowing the beautiful lights of the city to shine bright, and the group was currently making their way back to the Pokemon Center, ready to call it for the day, with Aria offering to accompany Dawn, Chloe and Ash on their way before taking her leave.
"Hey Ariana, aren't you staying at the Pokemon Center too?" Chloe suddenly asked. Ariana had mentioned she was planning on saying her goodbyes after they had made it back to the center, but since she was staying for the Showcase tomorrow, she wondered why she hadn't booked a room for herself.
"Huh? O-Oh well, you see…" Ariana started, stuttering her words as she nervously tried to find an excuse as to why she was staying at the Motel that hosted the performers. "I-I have a friend that's performing tomorrow, and she offered to share her room at the motel where the performers are staying!"
"Oh, that's cool!" Chloe replied, causing Aria to sigh a little in relief.
Ash watched the interaction, amused. He looked at Pikachu, the Pokemon smiling at him, causing him to smile back. He wondered if she should tell them about Aria, they had been hanging around with the queen of Pokemon Showcases this entire afternoon without even realizing…
'Nah… They'll figure it out eventually…'
"Oh, here we are!" Dawn suddenly said, spotting the lights of a slightly less busy Pokemon Center just ahead of them. Stopping at the entrance, Ash, Dawn and Chloe turned to face Ariana, ready to leave them for the day.
"Well, looks like this is your stop! Thanks for letting me join in on your trip around the city, I had a blast!" Ariana said with a sincere smile, causing the others to reciprocate a smile of their own. It had been a long time since she enjoyed the simplicity of walking around a city and going shopping, she was always kept quite busy with her Kalos Queen duties after all, so it was refreshing to take it easy and make some new friends while she was at it.
"We had a blast too, Ariana!" Chloe replied, sharing Ariana's thoughts.
"We'll see you tomorrow at the Showcase, right?" Dawn asked, eager to meet her up with their new friend again tomorrow.
"Of course! I can't wait!" Ariana replied in a cheerful manner, before turning around as she waved goodbye behind her, starting to take her leave. "Take care, everyone! See you tomorrow!"
"Bye, Ariana!" Ash, Dawn and Chloe said simultaneously as they all waved goodbye. Ariana's smile grew wider, before she suddenly turned around fully, walking backwards away from the group, and screaming, "Oh! Ash!"
Ash tilted his head in mild confusion whilst still waving goodbye as the girl abruptly addressed him. She saw Ariana smirk and wagged her finger in a teasing manner, causing him to stop waving, even more confused.
"Make sure you pay really close attention to the Showcase tomorrow, okay? I think there might be something you're not going to want to miss!"
"Huh…?" Was all Ash said, as Ariana turned around again, and continued walking off further into the city.
Dawn and Chloe glanced at Ash, also perplexed as to what Ariana was insinuating, but shrugged it off rather quickly, with Chloe eventually breaking the silence that was installed by Ariana's cryptic words. "Well, we should probably get to bed, we have to wake up bright and early for the Showcase tomorrow."
"Right, let's get some sleep." Dawn said, as she prepared to go inside the Pokemon Center alongside Chloe, but stopped once she realized Ash hadn't moved. "You coming, Ash?"
Ash didn't respond initially, still bemused wondering what Ariana was trying to say, but after a few moments, he shook it off and said, "Yeah… Let's go."
As Ash, Dawn and Chloe entered the Pokemon Center, the latter two saluting Nurse Joy when they spotted her, Ash's thoughts drifted again.
With Aria's sudden mysterious words combined with his already worried thoughts about the Masters Tournament, it was reasonable to assume sleep was the last thing on Ash's mind.
A/N: I wasn't planning on updating so quickly after the first chapter, but hey here we are! Thank you for the support on the first chapter, it's very appreciated! I'm planning on updating my other story before posting the next chapter of this one, but I'm pretty far into that update already and the next chapter of Snowbelle Heartstrings I kinda already started, no promises on an update day/time though. Until then, see ya!