Chapter 17

Battling with Elegance and a Big Smile

My friends and I are on our way home to Lumiose City, sight of our next Gym challenge. The day before, Clemont departed from our group by helicopter to prepare for our arrival. This was perhaps for the best as it would give him some time to learn the art of Mega Evolution.

We were resting at a Pokémon Center in Orsay City, which was just outside the Badlands. While we waited for Nurse Joy's treatment, a nearby television was showing the recent Showcase at Coumarine City. It was especially highlighting Shauna's victory. "I am certain we can look forward to many fine performances from her in the future!" Pierre concluded.

We were proud of Shauna for her victory, but none of us wanted to bring it up. We still remembered what happened which took Serena's victory. Misty glanced back at Serena. "Next time, that will be you!" she stated in support.

"Thanks, Misty," she replied with a look of determination. "I've really gotta work hard to catch up to her!"

Soon came Nurse Joy with a tray of three Poké Balls. "Thank you for your patience. Your Pokémon's recovery treatment is complete."

Serena thanked her and accepted the three Balls. She opened them up to release Fennekin, Pancham, and the recently recruited Solsol. "Everyone, our next performance is coming soon. So, let's train hard!" They all called out in agreement.

*Ash's POV*

Outside, many of our Pokemon were playing together on the battlefield, while we humans were enjoying some refreshments in the warm afternoon sun. Across the field, Serena was drawing in the dirt to explain her idea to her team. "...then Pancham will jump, go under here, and then finish up." She concluded, then looked to my electronic friend. "What do you think of this, Dexter? Can you give me a number crunch real quick?"

"Calculating…" Dexter replied, followed by a brief silence. "The probability of victory with this performance is 83.9%."

She smiled. "I like those odds. I think we should give it a try. Imagine our friends as the audience. All set?" They all nodded at their Trainer and took their position.

"Good luck!" Brianna called out.

"Show us how it's done!" I added.

The four then bowed toward us, and their practice run began. They all ran forward, jumped, landed in perfect sync, and they seemed to enjoy doing it. Then Fennekin and Pancham jumped, using Serena's shoulders as a springboard, and they created a sparkling aura together.

"So far so good," Brock commented. But he spoke too soon.

"Now, Pancham, jump! Fennekin, use Flamethrower!" The Fox Pokemon created a ring of fire with her breath, and the other jumped through.

But Pancham got too close to the ring. His tail caught fire. "PANCHAAAMMMMM!" he screamed and ran around in pain. Soon, he sat down and started rubbing his bottom against the dirt, extinguishing the flame.

"Are you okay?" asked Serena. Fennekin whined apologetically.

But Pancham was still angry. It seemed to yell at Fennekin for burning it, and she tried to argue back.

"Now hold on," Serena stepped in, "that was nobody's fault. Our timing was a bit off. Let's try it one more time, okay?" Solsol seemed to growl in Serena's favor. The two agreed, but they were still mad at each other.

They tried their routine once again, and this time, Pancham flew through the ring of fire without getting burned. But instead, Pancham lost his footing, and he crashed into Fennekin. This time, it was Fennekin's turn to get angry. She thought Pancham did that on purpose.

"Not again…" Serena tried to intervene.

Worse was to follow. Pancham jumped onto Serena's shoulder and blew his tongue at Fennekin. This made her so angry that she retaliated with a Flamethrower. Pancham jumped to safety, but Serena could not get out of the way in time.

"Sweet Arceus!" one of us cried out.

Thankfully, Serena was not terribly hurt, but she was furious. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" she screamed so loud, I could have sworn I heard the sound of glass shattering nearby. Fennekin and Pancham clung to each other in fear. "CAN YOU PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY?!"

I stepped in and held her shoulders. "Okay, now calm down…" I told her and she realized what she was doing. I looked at her Pokemon. "Now, you two know what you did wrong, right?" They looked and sounded like they were sorry. "Good. So, how about we try one last time…"

But Serena had other plans. "I think I need to go and take a little walk…" she said. Judging by the tone of her voice, she sounded ashamed of losing her temper. "I want to think things over alone… I'm sorry…" She then darted off the field and down the street.

"Wait, Serena!" Pancham, Fennekin, and I tried to go after her…

…but Solsol stopped us after about five steps. As she spoke, Squishy translated. 'Solsol said she just needs to cool off. She'll be back here before sundown… with a new friend.'

I was a little worried. Ever since what happened in Coumarine City, I was a little scared to leave Serena, especially in such an emotional wreck. But Solsol's clairvoyance had never steered me wrong before, so I decided to trust his judgment. "I hope you're right…" I muttered quietly.

*Serena's POV*

I was so ashamed. That was the first time I really snapped at someone since I left Vaniville Town. It was also the first time I snapped at my own Pokémon. I was usually much more level-headed, but today I was being very foolish.

A few minutes into my walk, I stopped at a boutique. There were a few accessories inside, but I was focusing on my own reflection. I was beginning to question if I should even be a Pokémon Performer when suddenly-!

"If you asked me, I think that hat there suits you much better."

I literally jumped as I faced a girl who appeared behind me. She had velvet red hair that stretched down to her white blouse and black jeans. She also wore a white hat and glasses. "Gosh, you scared me," I sighed. "I nearly soiled myself…"

"Hey, why the long face?" she asked me. "My mom always told me to always keep a smile on my face. That was her secret to looking and feeling great." Then she seemed to have an idea. "I know. Why don't we shift gears and do some serious shopping together? My treat."

"Beg pardon?" I asked.

"Today's my first day off in a while, and there are some shops nearby I really wanted to check out. But it's boring to go alone. What do you say?"

This was a bit out of the blue - after all, I only knew her for a minute. But maybe a little fun would help get my mind straight. "Sure!" I replied. "I'm Serena, by the way."

"I'm Ariana. Nice to meet you." She sure seemed like a nice person, although I felt like I saw her before. But where…?

Anyway, we made our way to a nearby boutique and started browsing. Ariana and I tried a number of outfits and accessories together, and I was starting to feel much better. All the while, I was racking my brain, trying to figure out where I saw her…

Suddenly, she spoke up. "Now I remember! I saw you at the Coumarine City Showcase!"

My heart dropped a little. "Oh, you saw that…"

"I wasn't actually there at the Showcase, but I watched it on PokeVision the next day."

"Yeah…" I sighed. "Not my proudest moment. I made some big mistakes and got the least votes of anyone there. And I yelled at my Pokémon earlier today… I feel so ashamed…"

"Everybody makes mistakes," she told me. "Nobody ever gets it perfect the first time around."

"Tell Shauna that," I rebutted. "I want to be, just like Aria the Top Idol. It's my biggest dream."

"Come on, you're being sad again…" Then she held up two bracelets in her hands. "Tell me, which of these do you prefer?"

I looked down at the two, then pointed to the one in her right hand. "The blue one."

"Then the blue one it is!" She stated. "Wait… on second thought, the red one's really cute too. I just can't decide!"

That made me laugh a little…

"That's better!" she pointed at me, surprising me a little. "If you're going to be a Pokémon Performer, you should always wear a radiant smile! Because as long as you're happy, so is the audience!"

I blushed a little as I realized she had a point. It seemed to me that our chance encounter was gradually evolving into a blessing.

Later, we decided to have lunch together at a nearby cafe. We ordered our own choice of tarts they were serving and some tea. "I've always wanted to visit this place!" I told Ariana.

"Me, too," she replied between bites.

I placed a hand to my mouth as I savored the flavor. "It just melts in your mouth! Right, Fennekin?" I quickly realized I did not bring any of my Pokémon with me. "Oh, right…"

"You two are always together, aren't you?"

I nodded. "In fact, this is the first time I've left her behind. Fennekin's was my first Pokémon, and even though Pancham and Solsol aren't always up front, they're always supporting me. I know they're only trying to do their best but…" I watched as a little girl was feeding her Furfrou a Poke Puff.

"They're your precious friends, right?" Ariana asked. "And I can tell you're genuinely sorry about what you did. I'm sure anything that's important to you, is something they really care about as well."

I took a deep breath to relax myself. "You're right…"

"Why don't we head back to the Pokémon Center after we're done here? You can apologize to them and become friends again." I wholeheartedly agreed, and that was exactly what we did.

*Brianna's POV*

Solsol's prediction was on the mark. It was about a quarter to sunset before Serena came back. She was accompanied by someone who looked vaguely familiar. As soon as she walked onto the battlefield, Fennekin and Pancham jumped into her arms. They began to yelp apologetically.

Serena smiled. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have yelled at you." She carefully placed them down as Solsol came up beside her. "I realized something while I was gone - you three are my precious partners. We're more than just a team - we're a family."

Ariana stepped up beside her. "So these are your partners… I can tell you have such a good connection."

I stepped up to our guest and reached out to her. "Thank you for looking out for our friend."

Bonnie's eyes lit up, and she kneeled down in front of her. "Wow! You're a keeper! Won't you please take care of my brother? He's a really super strong Gym Leader, and single, and he needs a-!" Before she could say anything more, Misty grabbed her by the ear. "OWIE, OWIE, OWIE, OWIE, OWIE!"

"Just 'cause Clemont's not here right now doesn't mean you're free to do that!"

We all chuckled a little as the redhead dragged the young blonde away. Then, out of nowhere… "Hey, Serena! Wanna have a double battle against me?" asked Ariana, surprising the girl in question. "You might learn a lot by battling with your Pokémon right now. Plus, I think it would be a lot of fun."

"That's not a bad idea!" Ash commented. "Now that you've made up, you can show her what an awesome team you can be."

With Ash's words of support, Serena accepted the challenge. Brock volunteered to act as referee. As they made their way to opposite ends of the field, Fennekin and Pancham took their positions. Then Ariana released two Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

"Dexter," asked Serena kindly, "Can I get an analysis on Ariana's partners, please?"

"With pleasure, Serena!" and he displayed the information.

Aromatisse
The Fragrance Pokémon
A Fairy-type
The scents Aromatisse can produce range from sweet smells that bolster allies to foul smells that sap an opponent's will to fight.

Delphox
The Fox Pokémon
A Fire and Psychic-type
Fennekin's final evolved form
By focusing on the flame at the tip of its branch, Delphox can see into the future.

It was clear to me that I was up against a powerful Trainer. But I was as ready as I could be. "Fennekin, Pancham, let's do our best!" And they yelped in compliance.

Brock held up a hand. "Okay, let the battle begin!"

Serena VS Ariana

Fennekin/Pancham VS Delphox/Aromatisse

Battle BEGIN

Serena made the first move! "Fennekin, use Scratch!" The little fox charged ahead.

But Ariana was prepared. "Aromatisse, use Reflect!" Aromatisse raised its hands, and a round, shining, rainbow-colored barrier of energy appeared in front of it, protecting it from the Scratch. "Now, Delphox, use Mystical Fire!" Delphox swung its wand stick around in a circle, forming a ring of fire in front of itself. It then released a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth, through the ring, at Pancham.

The attack lit Pancham's tail on fire, and it jumped around in a frenzy. "Whoa… deja vu…" Cocoa muttered.

"I don't know what I expected from Fennekin's final evolved form," I commented. "Such graceful movements."

"How do you like our performance, Serena?" Ariana asked.

Serena raised her eyebrows. "You're a Performer?"

"I was," she explained.

"So this is a battle between Performers… and the Performance is just getting started!" Serena said confidently. "Pancham, use Stone Edge on Aromatisse!" Pancham slammed his paws on the ground, causing rock spires to shoot out therefrom. But we learned the hard way that her Reflect was still active.

"Cooperation is key," Ariana told us, "be that on the battlefield or on stage, teamwork between Trainer and Pokémon, and even between Pokémon themselves. You can't win if you don't work together."

"That's what I always say!" Ash called out.

"And you're both right!" Serena replied. "Okay, you too, let's trust each other and work together! Pncham, use Stone Edge!" As the spires emerged, Fennekin jumped atop them to gain the higher ground, so to speak.

"Reflect won't block an attack from up there!" Misty commented. "Atta girl, Serena!"

"Fennekin! Use Flamethrower!"

"You too, Delphox!" The two moves clashed, but Delphox's was much stronger - it cut through Fennekin's like a hot knife through butter. Fennekin crashed, much to Serena's dismay. "Aromatisse, Charge Beam!" Aromatisse raised its hands and created an orb of yellow electricity. It then lowered its arms and fired a beam of yellow electricity from the orb at Fennekin.

"Pancham! Counter it with Dark Pulse!" Pancham jumped in front of Fennekin and fired the beam at Aromatisse's, holding it back as best as he could. "Fennekin, are you okay?" her Trainer asked with concern.

Some of us were beginning to worry. "I don't think she can take much more of this!" Bonnie said with worry.

"She's right!" I turned to Brock. "Call off the battle!"

"No," Serena raised a hand to me. Oddly enough, she was smiling. "Fennekin, Pancham, Solsol… I truly believe in all three of you. After all, you're the greatest partners in the whole world!"

That seemed to be enough to make Fennekin stand up once more. Then she seemed to glow, catching our attention. As Pancham diverted the Charge Beam into a shower of sparkles, Fennekin started to stand on her hind legs. Her pointed ears now reached Serena's eyebrows, and her tail grew thick and bushy.

Serena's eyes were wide with wonder. "Fennekin?"

Dexter hovered over to her. "Not anymore!" Then he displayed the information on his screen.

Braixen
Fennekin's evolved form
A Fire-type
When the branch is plucked from its tail, friction lights it like a torch. The flame can be used to send signals to its allies.

"You see?!" asked Ariana with pride. "Your Pokémon answered your heartfelt call! Your hearts became one!"

"Braixen Braix!" her foxy partner added.

Serena dried her eyes. "You're right! Thank you so much!"

"Now, this battle's really heating up! Time to show us the bond between all of you!"

"Right! Braixen, Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse!" The two moves whirled together and struck the opponents with full force. Ariana could not react fast enough.

Everyone cheered as Ariana commented. "Nice one! Your coordination is spectacular!"

"Thanks! That means so much!"

"Time for me to get serious!" Suddenly, there was the sound of a phone ringing in the air. "Oh, uh, hang on a sec…" She pulled a Holo Caster out of her purse and turned it on. "Hello…? I'm at the Pokémon Center. Why…? YOU WHAT?! Hang on! I'll be right there!" She hung up and turned back around. Pulling out her Poké Balls, she retrieved her partners. "I'm sorry, but I have to forfeit this match…"

"What? Why?" we asked.

"Any other time, I'd explain it to you in detail, but I really gotta go." She started to run. "But don't worry! We'll meet again! Eventually!"

Serena stared… then she smiled. "Good-bye! And thanks for everything!"

The next day, Serena and her Pokémon were practicing for the next Showcase. Since Braixen evolved, she had to rethink their Freestyle strategy, Nevertheless, their maneuvers were so graceful and majestic.

Once the performance was over, The four Pokémon took a bow before us, and we all applauded.

"Yay, Serena!" Bonnie squealed.

"You go, girl!" Cocoa added.

"The probability of success at your next Showcase has increased to 96.5%!" Dexter added.

We decided to let her rest briefly and ordered some refreshments from a nearby cafe. As we enjoyed our drinks, we watched some Pokevision videos of the top Performers in the Kalos region. Naturally, Aria was up on that list.

"Someday soon, Serena," her boyfriend chimed in, "that's gonna be you!"

She smiled in agreement. "You're right! I'm one step closer to being just like Aria, and I owe it all to Ariana!" Then, it seemed, a switch went off in her mind. Her eyes widened as she focused on Aria on the screen. "Heeey… wait a minute…"

Without knowing beforehand, Serena got a truckload of help from Aria, the former TOp Idol of Kalos. Her training has been reflected in Fennekin evolving into Braixen, and the remainder of her team becoming even more coordinated with one another. And so, with her confidence and optimism renewed, Serena's journey to become the new Top Idol continues…

MEANWHILE, IN LUMIOSE CITY…

*Clemont's POV*

It had been a few days since I left for Lumiose City without my friends. I had been working hard to formulate my strategies for Ash and Brianna, while battling Gym Challengers right and left. One of my personal favorite Challengers was this one Trainer named Sawyer and his partner Treecko. He was a powerful opponent, but he left a huge opening with Treecko's Mega Drain, allowing me to pull off a victory. Afterwards, he jotted down my advice in his notebook.

Anyway, today I decided to take a brief hiatus from my training to focus on some pet projects of mine. While I was working on one in particular, I heard a buzz on the doorbell. "Hey, Clemont! Are you free?" asked a voice on the intercom.

I checked the monitor nearby to see my father was waiting by the door. "Oh! Hey, Dad!" I stated, happily. "Come on in. I'm in the lab."

That was exactly what he did. As he entered the lab, he saw me working on a new android I was building. It had a certain shape that he noticed. "Kinda looks like Bonnie," he commented.

"That's because I'm designing it in her image," I started. "It's an autonomous playmate I'm making for her next birthday gift. I'm calling it the Quantum Technocompanion, or Q.T. for short!"

Dad laughed. "Sounds to me like you're getting better with creative names. Anywho, I was wondering if you could help out with something. Professor Sycamore is having trouble with one of his machines. He asked me for help, but it seems a little out of my expertise. I was wondering if I could borrow your mechanical genius for this client?"

I always enjoyed it when my father asked me for help. "Of course! Let me just save my programming code first, and I'll be ready to go!"

When we got to the Professor's laboratory, he and Brianna's Mom greeted us warmly. I almost did not recognize her dressed so casually. They guided us to their machine, and I got straight to work. Meanwhile, Chespin, Bunnelby and Lucky went out to play with the Pokémon out back.

As I troubleshooted the software, we were talking about current events. The Professor told me he found some Garchompite for his partner. As for Diantha… well, she told me something wonderful had happened to her, but she wanted her daughter to be the first to know. I told him everything from the activation of Dexter the RotomDex, to the raid on the Power Plant.

But as with his field of research, there was one topic that stuck with him. "You're friends with a Diancie?" asked the Professor. "Diancie can Mega Evolve?!"

"Another research topic for you, Professor," Diantha laughed.

"Speaking of research, I almost have this thing figured out…" I then fastened the back of the machine shut. "There, it should be working now."

"Excellent! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome… by the way, what's this machine for?"

"It's for this…" The Professor reached into his pocket and pulled out a Mega Stone. "It's not as easy as one might think to determine which Pokémon reacts to which Mega Stone, so this Synchronizer was designed to give us the answer." He approached the machine and inserted the Mega Stone and a Keystone he had hidden on the pedestals. The Synchronizer let out a mild whine as it ran its diagnostics.

Then the machine revealed it's answer:

NO DATA

The Professor scratched his head. "I don't understand. Why doesn't it give us any results for this one Mega Stone?"

As he was pondering this, Lucky came back in. He was carrying Chespin, who got into a fight with a Psyduck. He placed Chespin down, then he gazed into the Synchronizer. He sniffed the machine out of curiosity.

"That's a Mega Stone, Lucky," I told him. "It allows a certain Pokémon to-!"

"Professor!" interrupted Sophie. She had her eyes on a monitor. "The Mega Stone is reacting!"

"Really?" asked the Professor. We all looked at Lucky in surprise. "Maybe that means… that this Mega Stone is for Luxray? But I've never heard of a Mega Luxray before…"

However, before anything else can occur, an explosion of sorts occurred outside. Glass shattered and documents flew everywhere. Fearing for the Pokémon outside, we ran out to see what happened. We were greeted by what looked like a giant metal Meowth.

"What's going on?" asked Diantha.

"Prepare for trouble, and show some respect!"

"And make it double, you mustn't neglect!" Two figures appeared from the Meowth's cheeks.

"Team Rocket?" I stated. "Hate to break it to you guys, but Ash is nowhere near the city right now…"

"Never mind the Twerp!" snapped James. "We heard every Mega Morsel!"

"Since that Luxray and that Mega Stone equal one Mega Luxray, we want in!"

"So let the stealing begin!" They clambered back into the head.

The Mecha-Meowth then tore out the Synchronizer with one hand and Lucky with the other. Then, we heard a whining sound coming from behind them. A jet engine was firing up and lifting the machine into the sky. "Enjoy the exhaust!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Thankfully, I was able to finish my tracking device, which I threw onto the machine as it made its escape. Then, I pulled out a tablet from my backpack. "Let's see… looks like they're heading northwest."

"I'll call the police!" Dad returned inside to the landline.

"We'll use your device to track Team Rocket down," Diantha stated. "We're counting on you!"

I nodded as I followed the Professor to the car. "Hang on, Lucky… I'm coming for you…"

STAY TUNED…