Chapter 41

A Performance Pop Quiz

Here in Anistar City, we plan to accomplish a number of important goals. One of these was to challenge the local Gym, earn a new Gym Badge, and hopefully acquire a new Pure Heart. But first things first - this was the day Serena would be performing in the local Pokémon Showcase. If she won this one, she'd earn her second Princess Key. Everyone was certain she would win this time.

There was just one teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial little, tiny detail… "WE OVERSLEPT!" Serena and Shauna shouted in horror, waking all of us up. Apparently, the Pokémon Center blew a fuse late last night, and no one knew until it was too late.

There was no time for breakfast. There was not even time to brush our teeth. Registration ended soon and very soon. Each of us simply got dressed, grabbed a piece of fruit from the breakfast buffet and ran for the local Event Center.

"Daddy?" asked Magearna. "Do you think we made it?"

Ash smiled and answered, "I'm sure Mommy and Shauna are just fine."

"We did cut it a little close though…" Jessie commented.

As we were chatting, we saw a certain third familiar face arrive. It was Trevor. "Hey, guys! Is it time for the Showcase?" he asked.

"Not quite," Tierno replied, "but it's great to see you made it!"

"Yeah… I almost wasn't gonna, but suddenly, I grew wings!" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a PokéBall. He popped it open to reveal his own Pokémon Charmeleon, who had evolved since the last time we saw him.

"A Charizard?!" Clemont commented in surprise. "That's incredible!"

Dexter hovered over and snapped a photo. "Updating data!" Then he showed his entry.

Charizard
Charmeleon's evolved form
A Fire and Flying-type
When Charizard expels a blast of super-hot fire, the red flame at the tip of its tails burns more intensely.

"Yeah, I know! It's gotten so much stronger now." Just then, the big one launched a Flamethrower attack at Trevor's head. "And a little more erratic…" he groaned through his sooty mouth.

Ash laughed. "That's just his way of saying he loves you. I should know - I have a Charizard back home just like him."

Just then, we heard the door open behind us. There stood our two Performers with smiles on their faces. "We made it just in the nick of time." Serena stated. "There's just one last thing I need to do before I head backstage."

She then pulled out her Eevee and released her from her Ball. Looking around at the crowd, she panicked and ran behind her Trainer. "Eevee vee…"

Serena then picked her up. "Eevee, I want you to watch us do our very best, okay?" She then handed her over to Magearna. "Can you look after her for me, honey?"

"Yes, Mommy!" the mechanical one smiled and held her like she was her own. "It's gonna be just fine. Let's cheer for her together, okay?"

Ash then addressed her girlfriend. "We'll take good care of her. Just go and give your best performance!"

Tierno spoke up right after. "Shauna, you do the same!"

"Count on it!" the two girls said together.

*Serena's POV*

Shauna and I made our way backstage, while the rest of our friends went to the auditorium. As usual, every girl in the dressing room was preparing for the Theme Performance. This time, they were throwing red robes over their dresses, and they were wearing those caps you see at graduation ceremonies. It made me wonder what the theme performance was going to be…

But before I could figure it out, I heard a voice call me by name. I turned around fast to see a face I had not seen in a long time. "Nini! Long time no see!"

"Is she a friend of yours?" asked Shauna, and I confirmed.

"And you're Shauna, aren't you?" she asked. "I've been such a big fan of yours since you debuted in PokéVision!"

"Aw, thank you!"

"I didn't know you were in town!" I stated with a smile. "How many Princess Keys do you have?"

"I have one," she told us. "And after today, I'll have two. I have such an incredible performance planned, I feel like I won already."

"That's the spirit!" I smiled as I took hers and Shauna's hands. "I wish us all luck!"

Just then, one of the Showcase coordinators peeked in through the door. "Okay… for the first round, we need Serena, Lily, and Nini." It would not be long now…

*Brianna's POV*

The two girls made their way backstage, while we found our seats in the auditorium. After about fifteen to twenty minutes, the lights above the audience faded, while those above the stage grew brighter. The Showcase had officially begun.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a voice announced on the overhead. It was Monsieur Pierre, the Showcase host. "Welcome to the Anistar City Pokémon Showcase! It's time for an enchanting presentation of Performers and their Pokémon! You are about to witness an elegant competition between Performers, who dream of becoming the next Top Idol of Kalos. And the winner of this performance shall receive the coveted Princess Key, coming one step closer to the Master Class Showcase!

"But first, they must complete today's Theme Performance! Not only does the Top Idol have to be beautiful, she must also be intelligent. So, the Theme Performance of the day is… the Pokémon Pop Quiz!"

"A battle of intellect, huh?" James asked. "You know, if Clemont was a girl, I bet he would've aced this one in a heartbeat." We all laughed, including Clemont.

"Let me explain the rules for you all," Pierre began. "Each Performer shall compete against two others in five minutes of general Pokémon-based trivia. The Performer with the highest score shall advance to the Freestyle Performance. Correct answers score two points, with one point being awarded if it was a second guess following the incorrect answer from another Performer. Guess incorrectly, and you'll lose just as many points."

"Sounds simple enough," Ash commented.

"'Sounds simple enough,' you might say," said Pierre by sheer coincidence. "Ah, but here's the twist! It is the Performer who will answer the question, but it is her Pokémon who will have to win her the chance by completing a specific challenge. Performer and Pokémon - working together to dominate the stage! And now, let us welcome our first group of Performers!"

Behind Pierre stood three podiums, and the three Performers rose from trap doors behind them. We saw that Serena was on the far left, but then we noticed someone else standing next to her…

"Isn't that Nini?" Ccoa pointed to the middle podium.

"Haven't seen her since before Coumarine City…" I added.

"And now, our first trio of performers must win the chance to answer the question in the Stone Trial!" As Pierre spoke, a spotlight lit up over the left side of the stage. There we saw a series of boulders laid out. "The Performer's Poke on must retrieve a ball from inside one of these boulders. First to return with their ball wins."

The three Pokémon made their way to the starting gate. Serena's choice was Solsol, Nini's was her Farfetch'd and the third Performer chose a Pokémon I learned was called Solrock.

"Now, let us get under way with round one of our Theme Performance! Here is your first question…"

Eevee is famous for having the most evolved forms of any Pokémon. What's the name of its Fairy-type evolution?

A. Espeon

B. Sylveon

C. Lumineon

"Ready… GO!" Pierre shouted.

The three Pokémon charged towards the boulders, each choosing a different target. Each of them had a different method for breaking away their rock. After a few seconds, Serena's partner retrieved the ball, picking it up in her mouth. Close behind, Farfetch'd!

Unfortunately, halfway back, Solsol tripped and dropped her ball. As she went to retrieve it, Farfetch'd took the advantage and crossed first. Solsol came in second.

"A closer finish," Pierre commented, "but Nini gets to answer the question! So, Nini, if you please…?"

"Let's see… the answer is C! Lumineon!" she declared.

*BZZZZZTT*

"I'm afraid not. Lumineon is not even an evolved form of Eevee." Fortunately for her, her score stayed the same. Pierre then turned to the girl beside her. "...which gives Serena the chance to steal!"

"The answer is B! Sylveon!" she answered.

*DING DING DING*

"Tres bien! The first point goes to Serena!" He declared, much to our delight. "Next question…"

Fighting-type moves are super effective against which type of Pokémon?

A. Ice-types

B. Steel-types

C. Dark-types

D. All of the above

E. None of the above

As the race restarted, Solsol was the first to cross the finish line. "This time, it's Serena!"

"The answer is D! All of the above!"

"Correct!"

On average, which Pokémon weighs more?

A. Ursaring

B. Exploud

C. Neither

Farfetch'd won the race that time. It was Nini's turn to shine! "A! Ursaring!"

"Correct!" Pierre stated.

Which of these is NOT an evolved form of Gloom?

A. Vileplume

B. Bellossom

C. Bellsprout

This time, it was Solrock's Trainer's turn to answer the question. "C! Bellsprout!"

"Correct!" said Pierre. "And with only seconds left on the clock, this shall be the final question!"

Trevenant, the Elder Tree Pokémon, is which type of Pokémon?

A. A Ghost-type

B. A Grass-type

C. Both of the above

D. Depends on the weather

The final race was cut rather close, but in the end, Solsol won Serena the chance.

She was silent for a moment. We had never encountered a Trevenant before, so none of us would know aside from Dexter. "This is just a wild guess, but… C? Both of the above?"

*DING DING DING*

"Correct!" the host declared with pride. "And with a score of five points, Serena moves on to the Freestyle Performance!" The crowd cheered as Serena hugged her Pokémon partner.

"One down, and one to go!" Jessie commented.

Magearna held up Eevee so she could see over the audience. "She's so cool, isn't she?"

"Vee Vee!" the little one replied with a smile. It seemed she was enjoying this more than we hoped. I was nearly certain she would join Serena on stage next time.

*Serena's POV*

Nini and I returned to the dressing room while the next group of Performers left. This time, Shauna would partake in the Theme Performance. I had just finished removing my robe when Nini approached me. She reached out to me with good sportsmanship. "Nice job, Serena. I hope you win this one for both of us."

"Thank you. I'll make sure of it." The two of us shared an embrace, and she left to watch from the auditorium. Meanwhile, I decided to sit down and clean Solsol up. There was some gravel in her fur from the Boulder Trail. When we were done, I looked to the monitor to see how Shauna was doing. In her trial, her Ivysaur had to fill a basket with assorted Berries and return it to her.

With the challenge complete, Shauna pulled out her Berry to provide her answer. "Pecha Berries cure Poisoning!"

*DING DING DING*

"Incroyable!" Pierre declared. "And with a score of eight points, Shauna shall advance to the Freestyle Performance!"

Just minutes later, Shauna returned to the waiting room to slip out of her robe. I approached her. "Here, let me help you." I unzipped the zipper on her back so she could easily slip out.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Hey, where's Nini?"

"She went to join the audience," I explained.

"Oh, okay." She adjusted the ribbon on her lower back. "Looks like it's you and me this time. There'll be no holding back from me!"

"Or from me!" We shook hands. "May the best Performer win!"

*Brianna's POV*

During the intermission, we got together with Nini to share the news. We introduced Tierno and Trevor to her, as well as Magearna and Eevee. We did have a little fallout between her and the former members of Team Rocket, but they explained how they changed their ways.

Anyway after roughly thirty minutes, we all returned to the auditorium. Nini took a seat next to Tierno. Then the stage lights brightened and the seat lights dimmed once again.

Monsieur Pierre returned to the stage. "And now," he began, "it is time for the Freestyle Performance, where the winners from the Theme Performance compete. And what's more, you lovely people get to vote for the winner. Our first Freestyle Performer today…" he exited through a trapdoor, and Shauna emerged from behind.

Those of us in the audience were rather excited. We had to wonder what Shauna's Freestyle would be this time…

"Flabebe, use Fairy Wind!" she began. The little one fluttered around her Trainer, leaving a trail of pink sparkles in her wake. "Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" The green one wrapped his wines around her waist and suspended her in the air. She floated beautifully through the sparkling mist, almost like a fairy.

"Look at that, so pretty!" Bonnie sighed.

"I know!" Tierno commented. "Shauna's been rehearsing this Performance nonstop!"

Then there was trouble. "Now, use Solar Beam! And Flabebe, use Moonblast!" The two moves collided with one another, creating a dazzling mock firework display…

…which frightened Eevee. She jumped out of Magearna's lap and disappeared under the bleachers. Magearna was quick to alert us.

"Oh, no! We've got to find her!" James declared. We all got out of our seats and started searching wherever we could. Thankfully, Pikachu saw her run out the door, so the rest of us followed.

As we searched outside, Ash and Magearna questioned an attendant, who unfortunately saw nothing. Then there was trouble again. Serena popped out of the dressing room. She heard the commotion and came to see what was going on.

"Mommy! Eevee's gone! I'm so sorry, Mommy!" Magearna wept.

"Oh, no!" Serena gasped in horror. Then she pleaded to the attendant. "Please, Eevee's one of my Pokémon, and I have to find her!"

"But if you miss your performance," the attendant warned us. "I'm afraid you'll be disqualified."

"You should go with your performance," Ash instructed. "Between all of us, we'll find her in no time."

"Yer boyfriend's right!" Meowth chimed in. "You've been rehearsing too hard to back down now."

Serena, on the other hand, was insistent. "I can't! Not when I'm worried about Eevee!"

Thankfully, the attendant was very compassionate. "Hold on… Let me see if they'll change the order so you can go last. I'll do what I can, but you'll have to hurry." She then opened the gate to let her pass.

"Thank you so much! I'm so sorry for this!" She rushed out with us to the lobby.

We searched high and low… mostly low, but to no avail. The more time passed, the more scared Serena was for Eevee's sake, and the more she began to tear up. Although it was not said, some of us began to wonder if she got out of the building entirely…

With just minutes left on the clock, Squishy noticed Eevee crawling out from a distant bench. 'There she is!' he shouted as she ran towards us.

Serena turned with delight. "Eevee!" she squealed and grabbed her little brown friend in a hug. "Thank Arceus! Where've you been? I was so worried about you!"

As she loosened her grip, Eevee looked apologetic at first, but smiled once again as she leapt from her lap. "Veevee Eevee vee!"

"Dig it!" Meowth chimed in. "Eevee wants ya to get back there and dance to the nines!"

"I'll keep a closer eye on Eevee this time," Ash assured his girlfriend.

Serena stood up. "Thank you. I'll make you proud, Eevee! I promise!" She and the rest of her Pokemon returned backstage in a hurry.

The rest of us returned to our seats just in time. "And now, for the last Performer in our competition! Please welcome back to the stage… Serena!"

She looked a little winded as she rose through the stage floor, but she shook it off. The crowd cheered as she began her performance. This time, Eevee made sure to stay and watch the whole thing.

Serena began by having Braixen and Pancham leap away from each other. The former of the two began to twirl her branch around and launched a Flamethrower attack at the latter. "Now, Pancham! Use Arm Thrust!" Serena stubby little paws glowed white and it struck the flame, dispersing it as sparkles.

Then the three Pokemon came together with Serena and began to flip and dance around the stage. Their bodies move with one another so elegantly, yet so freely. Almost like…

…like Eevee! Magearna held her up for a better perspective. "Look, Eevee! They're imitating your dancing! And everyone loves it!"

Eevee looked down. Several people in the audience, ourselves included, were swaying their bodies alongside Serena's, like they were hypnotized. The more people joined in, the happier Eevee was, and the more it seemed she wanted to come on stage with them.

Eventually, Pancham used Stone Edge on the floor, summoning rock pillars for Solsol and Braixen to dance on top of. They then used Psycho Cut and Flamethrower, respectively. The two moves clashed and exploded, sending glittering sparkles all over the audience and ending their Performance. Everyone in the audience was left awestruck, especially Eevee.

With their Performances complete, Monsieur Pierre returned along with the other contestants. The Performers lined up side by side, a keyhole-shaped gauge forming above them.

Pierre addressed the crowd. "Alors! It is time to vote! Please light your Glow Casters using the corresponding color of the Performer you thought gave the best performance. If you please, vote now!"

Most of us in our friend group voted for Serena. Trevor and Tierno on the other hand, voted for Serena. After a minute or two, the results came in.

"It was a close call, but the winner of the Anistar Showcase is… Serena!" The crowd cheered to celebrate Serena's victory. Even some of her rivals came over to congratulate her with clean sportsmanship. Pierre then approached the victor with her prize. "Congratulations on another victory. You just need one more Princess Key, and you may proceed to the Master Class Showcase. We wish you the best of luck!"

"Thank you so much!" Serena smiled as Klefki handed her the prize.

"And with that, we come to the end of the Anistar City Pokemon Showcase! Thank you all for coming, and we hope to see you again soon! Au revoir!"

At last, the day was finished. We waited outside for our three Performers to catch up to us. As they emerged in their casual outfits, Eevee leaped into her Trainer's arms.

"That was a great performance, Serena!" her boyfriend complimented. "Did you learn that dancing from Eevee?"

"Sure did!" she replied. "That was my idea from yesterday. It was very clutch rewriting our entire performance in one evening, but it was definitely worth it!"

"Eevee!" the brown one chirped in agreement.

"It sure was!" Tierno added. "The way you move your feet totally got me in the groove!"

The victor giggled. She then held Eevee up to eye level. "What do you say, Eevee? Would you like to perform with us next time?"

"Eeveevee! Eeveevee!"

Meowth translated for her. "Eevee says, 'I do! I do!'"

"Wonderful! You made me so happy, I could burst!"

Trevor then looked at Ash and I. "So, I take it you're gonna be taking on the local Gym next?"

"We sure are," I answered. "Another Gym Badge for Ash, and another Pure Heart for me!"

"Great! I don't know much about that Gym, but I can at least show you the way!" He then pointed out into the distance. There, on the edge of the city, stood a rather unusual crystal formation. It towered over everything else around it, just like Prism Power or the Pledging Tree. "The local Gym is over by the Anistar Sundial. If you head towards it, you should find the Gym in no time."

"Perfect! We'll head there first thing after breakfast!" Ash added. With that, the three groups said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Serena has won the Anistar City Pokemon Showcase, and now has her second Princess Key. Now, all we need is a goodnight sleep, and we'll be ready for the Anistar Gym. What surprises await us over there? And will Ash and I be able to overcome them and pull off a victory? The answers to come as the journey continues…