Chapter 2

Dreaming a Performer's Dream

My friends and I continued our journey to Coumarine City, home of Gym Leader Ramos. There, we would not only claim a new Gym Badge, but at the same time, I hoped to find a new Pure Heart. One day, we arrived in Lagoon Town. Shortly beforehand, Serena received a video message from Shauna, who told us to meet in the park therein.

While we waited, Serena took the opportunity to groom her Fennekin. Bonnie and Diancie were watching. 'You sure seem to enjoy this, do you not?' the latter asked Fennekin, who yipped happily in response.

"Fennekin loves to keep clean," Serena added. "I groom her fur every day."

"Can I have a turn, please?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course." She handed the brush over to the young girl, who began immediately. With every stroke of the brush, Fennekin's tail seemed to sparkle more and more.

Suddenly, Clemont's Chespin popped out of his Poké Ball and scurried over. "I'll bet you wanna get brushed too, right?" Bonnie asked the Spiny Nut Pokémon, who chirped in response. She pulled him over and started to brush around his quills.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" cried a voice from the distance. Shauna had finally arrived with Bulbasaur on her left.

Serena got up to greet her friend. "It's fine. We've only been here for a couple of minutes."

As we all got up to greet our guest, Shauna was quick to notice the newest face in our group. "No way! Diancie?!" she exclaimed, as Diancie seemed to hobble behind me. "I've never seen one before! They're about as rare as they are beautiful!"

'Why, thank you...' Diancie replied, a little more relaxed.

"You can talk, too?!"

"It's Telepathy," Brock explained.

"Oh… that makes more sense."

"Anyway, enough about us," I stated. "You said you wanted to show us something today, right?"

"Wait till you hear this," Shauna began. "Aria's gonna be doing an expedition performance at the Pokémon Showcase right here in town! So I wanted to invite all of you to come with me!"

"Oh, yeah!" I turned to Serena. "Didn't you tell us that Aria was a Pokémon Performer?"

"Not just any," she replied, her eyes sparkling. "She's the Top Idol. It's kinda like the Champion of the Showcase. I just can't wait to see her live and in person!"

I was a little surprised about this. I was not expecting her to seem so excited. About something like this.

*Serena's POV*

A short walk later, we arrived at the Lagoon Town Theatre, where the Showcase was to take place. Shauna approached a pair of recipients and handed one of them a ticket. "Shauna Armeniox, party of ten."

The recipient tore off a part of the ticket and handed it back. "Please enjoy the show!"

As we entered the auditorium, I looked around. The seats were nearly filled to the rim with fans from far and wide. Shortly after we found our seats, the lights dimmed, and the audience applauded. The show had begun.

From the center of the stage, a trapdoor appeared, and a man everged therefrom. He wore a type of three-piece suit in multiple shades of blue, which seemed to glow a bit in some areas. In his right hand, he held a peculiar staff with an odd shape on the top. "Bonsoir, Pokémon lovers, and welcome!" he began. "I am your humble host, Monsieur Pierre. I hope you are prepared for a competition magnifique!

"The Lagoon Town Pokémon Showcase will amaze, starting off with the Rookie Class Division! For anyone who is new to the Pokémon Showcase, allow me to explain the rules, s'il vous plaît. Here in the Rookie Class Showcase, our newer, younger Performers compete against one another for entry into the Master Class Showcase. We typically begin with the Theme Performance, where three different Performers face off against one another in various challenges.

"The winner of each round will advance to the Freestyle Performance, where they each put their Pokémon's skills to the test. Performers must work alongside their Pokémon to amaze and dazzle us with their unique skills and techniques, and the winner is determined by you, that's right, you in the audience.

"How, you may ask? If you will, please take a moment to check under the seat in front of you..."

As he continued speaking, we did as he instructed. We all looked down to find what at first looked like a glowstick the attendants used to guide us to our seats.

"With this Glow Caster," Pierre continued, "you can cast your vote for your favorite Performer. Whosoever collects the most votes will win the Showcase and one of three Princess Keys they will need to advance to the Master Class."

As soon as he said the word, 'Keys,' the tip of his staff began to float into the air. It held the aforementioned Princess Key out for everyone to behold.

Ash was caught off guard a little. "The cane head is flying!"

"The 'cane head' is a Pokémon, silly," Serena giggled as she held up her Pokedex. "Look at this..."

Klefki
The Key Ring Pokémon
Klefki loves to collect keys and will confront opponents with a fierce jingle of their collection.

As Klefki returned its perch, Monsieur Pierre recollected the attention of the audience. "Now to get things started, our current Kalos Idol has agreed to put on a special expedition performance for everyone here! So without any further ado, Mademoiselle Aria!"

Pierre's trapdoor lowered once again, and the room turned dark. A spotlight appeared, revealing four shapes: a human, a Braixen, a Vivillon, and a Spritzee. It was plain to see that the human was Aria. As they began toward the center of the stage, Aria's performance had already begun.

She began by having her Braixen use Fire Spin straight up, while her Vivillon aimed a Psybeam down below. When the two moves collided, Spritzee used Reflect creating multiple translucid circular platforms. Aria herself used the platforms to jump high as Vivillon caught her in midair. Vivillon's position on her hack gave off the illusion that its wings were attached to her own body.

As the performance continued, my mind went into overdrive. 'She gives such an awesome performance...' I thought to myself. 'Her smile gives everyone such strength and joy. It almost feels like I'm performing alongside her...'

The crowd cheered as Braixen launched a Fire Blast into the vortex they had created. The resulting explosion showered the audience in sparkles, and with that, Aria's performance was complete. She smiled and struck an elegant pose, causing the audience to roar even louder.

"Magnifique! Another fantastic performance by Kalos' top idol, Mademoiselle Aria!" Pierre declared as he walked up next to her. "Now before we officially begin our main event, you said you had an announcement for us, non?"

"Yes. Indeed I did," Aria replied as she accepted the microphone from him. Then she turned to the audience with an optimistic yet serious look on her face. "Ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon of all stages, I have something important to say."

"Ooh… This sounds important," Misty commented quietly.

"I had become Kalos' top Idol many years ago, wanting to add more to what everyone saw in the Pokémon Showcase, the Showcase that gave me a place to belong. I feel as though since my achieved this title, I have gone above and beyond what I had expected and changed the Showcase for the better. And in doing so, I have acquired a new dream… to bring the Pokémon Showcase to the eye of millions beyond Kalos. Therefore, to begin that dream, I stand before you all today… to announce my retirement from the Pokémon Showcase."

A loud gasp filled the auditorium, followed by the indiscriminate murmuring amongst one another. 'What does she need tires for?' Squishy asked.

"Retire," Clemont stated. "It means she's ending her career on her own accord."

"I understand that with this decision comes a lot of mixed emotion," Aria continued, "but there is a silver lining to this. This year, the winner of the Master Class Showcase is guaranteed to become Kalos' new top Idol! When I see that happen, I will have no regrets, so I wish you all the best of luck!"

It started as just one person standing and clapping, and then some more joined them, and before long, the entire audience had given Aria a standing farewell ovation. She and her Pokémon waved to the audience one last time before making her final departure from the Kalosian stage. "Au revoir, Mademoiselle, and thank you for giving so many splendid years of memories!" Pierre declared. He then turned his attention back to the audience. "And with that, the competition for the new Top Idol will officially begin, starting with the Rookie Class Showcase. Now that everyone is all revved up and ready to go, please welcome our first competing Performer, Kayleigh and her Furfrou!"

*Clemont's POV*

About two hours later, the competition ended, with some girl from Brackish Town winning the performance. As we left the auditorium, we were commenting on what we had seen. "That show was so amazing!" I sighed, still a little awestruck. "Too bad Aria's retiring though…"

"But at least we caught her final curtain call," Brock tried.

"I thought her teamwork with her Pokémon was as good as it gets!" Shauna stated.

"The way she used Braixen's flaming branch was fantastic!" I said to Misty, who replied in affirmative.

Ash was still cranking his arm from the Showcase. "Too much pumping… I'm sure gonna feel it tomorrow!"

Bonnie looked to Serena… "Did you like it, Srerena?"... and then gasped.

A stream of tears flowed from each eye as she immediately declared. "I've never been so moved by anything so beautiful in my entire life!"

"HUH?!" we all jumped in shock.

"The way Aria displayed the beauty of her Pokémon combined with her own hopes and dreams was overwhelming as it washed over my very being!" she explained. "I've decided! I'll be a Pokémon Performer, just like Aria!"

We were surprised by this revelation, but pleased nonetheless. "Tres bién!" I replied. "You found your own dream!"

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash added. "I'm proud of you!"

"You're really going to be a part of it?" Bonnie asked, excited.

Serena nodded. "Of course, this means I have a lot of work to do."

"That's incredible, Serena!" Shauna exclaimed. "Looks like we got a new rival, right, Bulbasaur?"

"Oh, yeah. You're an aspiring Performer as well, right?"

Shauna smiled in a confident way. "Which means next time we meet, it will be on stage!" And with that, she and Bulbasaur had to leave to prepare for her next Showcase.

"Good luck!" Bonnie called. "Thanks again for inviting us!"

Before we could choose our next move, one of us noticed something. Chespin was twirling a branch just like Aria's Braixen. "Looks like somebody's got a fan." Cocoa stated as he tossed the twig into the air… only for it to bonk him in the head. We all laughed.

But that laughter was cut short when another twig hit him, this one striking even harder. We all looked up to find the source. A little black and white creature was atop the display, and he seemed to be dancing.

"A Pokémon?" Ash pointed his Pokédex up.

Pancham
The Playful Pokémon
Though it tries to look tough Pancham has trouble being taken seriously by opponents.

"No surprise there," I commented. "It does look kinda cute."

The Pancham then pulled the Eyelid taunt at Chespin and ran off. Naturally, this made him angry, so he began chasing after it.

The rest of us tried to recover Chespin, but they ran into the woods. We quickly lost them at a fork in the road. Ash, Serena, Misty, and Brock took the path on the right, and the rest of us banked left. As we walked the path, we called out for Chespin, but sadly to no avail.

We did however, find someone else… the Pancham who started this mess. Or rather he found us. He jumped on my back and nearly threw me off balance. I tried to grab him, but he took my glasses and ran off. I quickly turned around and tried to search for him, but without my glasses, I could not see at all… to the point where I bumped into a bug burly man. "AH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I repeated.

"Clemont?" Brianna asked. "Why are you apologizing to a rock?"

"That's a rock?" I asked back in embarrassment. "I can't see without my glasses..."

"Maybe you should take my paw..." Cocoa offered.

"Good idea. Thank you." I reached out and grabbed it…

...and then she screamed. "AHH! THAT'S MY EAR!"

*Ash's POV*

I am not sure if this happened before or after Clemont's encounter with Pancham. But as we were searching for Chespin, I had a similar encounter to his. As we were searching for Chespin, Pancham jumped onto me from above and swiped my hat. Serena started after her, but we lost her too.

But silver lining, we did find the rest of our group, and they had also found Chespin as well. Something was still off though. "Where are your glasses?" Misty asked Clemont.

"That Pancham stole them..." Clemont groaned.

"And my hat..." I mentioned.

"We still gotta find that Pancham then," Brock stated. "Come on. I think he's over here, maybe..."

Well, the former Gym Leader's intuition was right on the money. Apparently, he was tired from this afternoon's chase. He was knocked out in the middle of an open field. Thanks to this, it was easy to surround him. Chespin yanked him up to a sitting position, waking him up in the process.

"No escape this time, buster!" Bonnie pointed out.

"I believe you have something that belongs to us," Cocoa added. "Give them back, and we'll let you go."

"Hold it!" a familiar voice rang in. The rest of us saw Serena coming our way. In her arms were what we had lost… and them some. He handed the hat and glasses back to Ash and Clemont. Then she looked at us and said… "Step aside! I want to catch that Pancham!"

'Really?' Diancie stated. 'Where is this coming from, if you do not mind me asking?'

"Because Pancham and I share a dream…"

*Serena's POV*

A few minutes earlier, Fennekin and I were separate from the rest of the group in our search for Chespin. We decided it would be best if we focused on looking for Chespin instead of the others. "Is he in there?" I asked Fennekin as she crawled out the bushes.

"Fenn!" she replied. She seemed to jump around and move in one direction. While I could not completely understand her, it seemed like she wanted me to follow her. We hid behind a tree to see what was happening.

There, in the opening, was the Panchan that started this little mess. It was wearing Ash's hat and Clemont's glasses. We watched it for a while as it performed a few tricks such as backflips and breakdances.

I smiled as I watched it. "Pancham must love to perform..." I then made the decision to help Pancham with his routine. We slowly emerged from the forest and called out to him. "Hey, little friend..." This startled Pancham and he retreated into a cave nearby. "Wait! I just want to talk to you!"

Once we got close enough I came to realize that Ash and Clemont were not the only ones Pancham stole from. His little hideaway was cluttered with all sorts of knickknacks. Who knows how long he had been stealing from others? "You shouldn't steal other people's things," I told him and I reached into my bag and pulled out my sunglasses. "... but if you promise to stop, I'll give you these, deal?"

Pancham was a little hesitant, but he accepted the offer and tried them on. It seemed a perfect fit. I reached out to pet his head, but ended up startling him and causing him to run off, the glasses falling off him.

"No, don't go!" I called and ran after him. "I wasn't done!"

Soon, I found Pancham, along with everybody else, who surrounded him. "I believe you have something that belongs to us," Cocoa stated. "Give them back, and we'll let you go."

"Hold it!" I shouted, catching everyone's attention. I handed the hat and glasses back to Ash and Clemont, and stated… "Step aside! I want to catch that Pancham!" Then I explained why...

"So Pancham likes to perform?" Brianna asked when I finished.

"He does, and he was using all of these as props for his routine." I looked at Pancham. "That's why i want to catch you! I want everyone to see what a good performer you are!"

Pancham seemed moved by my words. He smiled in a rather cute way, and then nodded in affirmative. Fennekin did the same as I looked at her, and we got into position.

"Alright, Fennekin! Use Scratch!" I called for our first move. Fennekin charged ahead and proceeded to swipe her claws at Pancham

Unfortunately, Pancham dodged with a jump and fired a Dark Pulse her way.

"Dodge and use Flamethrower!"

Fennekin barely escaped and spewed a stream of flame at Pancham. He backflipped out of the way and fired a punch at Fennekin's collarbone.

"I think that was Arm Thrust," I heard Ash say behind me.

"Flamethrower again!" Another miss. Pancham tried Arm Thrust again, but missed after Fennekin jumped again. "Now, Hidden Power!" Fennekin opened her mouth and formed a light blue ball of energy in front of it. She fired the ball at Pancham, this time landing a direct hit and knocking him off his feet.

"Now may be a good time, Serena!" Misty called out. "Use a Poké Ball!"

I adhered to the Cerulean Gym Leader's advice and tossed a Ball at my opponent. While I was able to encapsulate it briefly, he broke out, ready for more.

"Don't give up!" Brock stated. "Just keep at it!"

'You can do it!' Squishy and Diancie cheered.

I knew I would. "Use Flamethrower!" The flames from Fennekin's fangs engulfed Pancham and seemed to throw him into the air. "Hidden Power!" Another direct hit, and Pancham was knocked to the ground.

"This has got to be it!" Ash suggested. "Try it again!"

I pulled out another Poké Ball and gripped it with both my hands. "Pancham… I want to perform together! Please come join me on my journey!" I threw it like a baseball at the wild Pokémon, and this time, it connected. I saw and heard the capture notification and cheered. "We did it!" I ran over to pick up the Poké Ball. "My first wild Pokémon! I caught a Pancham!"

"Fennekin! Fennekin!" my partner jumped.

*Brianna's POV*

The rest of us came over in a congratulatory wave. "Way to go, Serena!" Brock cheered.

"Is this really your first wild catch?" Misty asked in surprise. "And you've been travelling with Ash for how long now?"

"Misty!" Ash snapped.

"No, no, she's right," Serena intervened as I released Pancham from his Poké Ball. "I was long overdue as a Trainer. But now that I have a dream, I have to do my beat to step up my game." I then kneeled down and gave him the sunglasses he dropped. "Pancham, Fennekin, will you help me become Kalos' new top Idol?"

"Cham/Fen!" they replied in affirmative.

"I can't wait to see you as a Pokémon Performer," I stated, proud of my best friend.

"I think you chose the perfect goal for yourself," Cocoa added with a grin.

"We're all on the road to our dream together," Ash concluded. "Let's all do our best!"

Serena has caught her first wild Pokémon, Pancham, and has declared that she wishes to become a Pokémon Performer. Now we all travel together to Coumarine City, each with our own goal. But first, we needed to find a Lost and Found for Pancham's stash, as the journey continues…