Stars, feathers, and ice crystals flew through the air, exploding into fireworks, as three talented Pokémon combined their attacks into an awe-inspiring spectacle. On the ground below, three performers were singing and dancing on a grand stage, in the unoccupied Lilycove Contest Hall. Lisia stood at the front of the stage, waving one arm energetically as the other arm held a microphone to her lips.

"Pick yourself up, and then you'll see!" she sang, her voice echoing through the hall and carrying over the sound of the prerecorded music, which was playing from the speakers stationed around the room. There was no audience in the seats to listen to the performance, not even any close or trusted friends. This was a private rehearsal, as Lisia was insistent on keeping the group's existence a secret until they were ready to start performing for real.

"You're the only person you can be!" Behind Lisia, May and Serena were dancing in unison, singing into microphones attached to their standard Pokémon Contest outfits. Each of them had a custom outfit being made for them, but according to Lisia, some of the materials they needed were on backorder.

As the coordinators danced and sang, Serena's Sylveon climbed up an icy staircase created by May's Glaceon, while using her Swift attack and spraying stars throughout the hall. Lisia's Altaria flew underneath the staircase before sweeping past the three dancers, sending out a gust of wind that blew their hair and outfits back.

As the final notes of the song rang out, the three coordinators all hit their final poses, with their three Pokémon joining in as well. All of them took a minute to catch their breath, and to bask in the feeling of their first complete run-through. They turned to look at each other, all of them having the same comment on their lips.

"That was…" Serena began. "A little… underwhelming?"

"You're right," Lisia agreed without hesitation. "We're missing something. We need more impact, more… oomph. Like we're one short of… whatever we need."

May smirked, amused by Lisia's inarticulate critique. "Well said." She turned around and walked over to her Rotom Phone, which was hovering in the air, and snatched it in her right hand. "Let's watch it back. Maybe we'll be able to see what's missing."

She sat down on the stage and motioned the other two over. Lisia and Serena walked over and sat next to her, leaning in close to get a good look at the screen, as their Pokémon walked over and looked at the screen from behind them. Serena focused hard on the recording of their performance, trying her best to ignore the tingly sensation of her arm pressed against May's.

Once the video came to an end, the three girls sat in quiet contemplation for a minute. There was something off about the performance, for sure, but it was hard to put into words. They each wrestled with their thoughts, trying to mold them into something they could say out loud.

"It feels too… um, what's the word?" Serena spoke up. "Like… we did too many different things? It's like… disconnected?"

"You're right," Lisia spoke up. "It's not cohesive."

"Right! That's the word."

May frowned. "That may have been my fault. I was worried about it becoming too repetitive… but now maybe it's… not repetitive enough? That sounds weird, though."

"I think it's okay for us to repeat some things in one song," Serena responded. "We're going to have a lot of these. Each one can have its own, like… visual theme. And then we build upon that theme, that idea. And then the next song is a different one."

"That all sounds good to me." Lisia sat up and stretched her arms above her head. "How much of the choreography are we going to have to re-do now, though?"

"It's not a big deal!" Serena insisted. "I can work on the whole theme idea. I'll try to think of something for each song, and then we can build on it."

"Well, we'll need to pick up the pace. I'm already working on booking our first few shows, and they'll happen faster than you think." Lisia got to her feet by unfolding her legs underneath her, an impressive feat of strength and balance. "May, can you help her come up with some ideas?"

"No problem, Lisia!" May declared. "Just leave it to us!"

Serena grinned and got to her feet as well. "Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about. We'll give this our all!"

"Great!" Lisia flashed her winning, Top Coordinator smile. "Let's break for the day, then. I'm ready for a break and a bite to eat." She grabbed the Poké Ball at her hip and recalled her Altaria to it. "See you both Monday?"

"Mhmm, Monday," May confirmed, returning her Glaceon, as Serena summoned her Sylveon back to her Poké Ball. They both clipped the balls back onto their belts, and Serena reached into her bag, searching for her notebook. She already had one or two ideas floating around her brain that she wanted to explore, and she wanted to get them written down before they disappeared.

"Serena, do you have any free time tonight?"

She blinked and turned toward May curiously. "Um… yeah, I don't have anything planned. Why do you ask?"

May smiled as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, we need to get rolling on these new routines, right? I thought maybe I could swing by your place and we could go over some ideas, do some planning. What do you think?"

Serena's eyes shot open as wide as they could. "You… want to come to my place…?"

"Mhmm. Is that alright? If it's inconvenient, we can meet somewhere else-"

"No!" Serena's voice nearly squeaked as she waved her hands in front of her frantically. "My place is nice! I mean, it's good! It's fine! Tonight is fine!"

May giggled lightly, a sound that sent Serena's racing heart soaring. "Great! Can I come by at six? I'll bring food for us."

"Six is good!" Serena answered, wishing she could respond in a less frantic manner. "I'll see you then!"

"Alright, six at your place. Can't wait!" May turned and made her way toward the door, and Serena followed a few paces behind her. Once they were outside, the two girls turned and walked off in separate directions, each toward their own apartment. As soon as May was out of earshot, Serena took off like a rocket, sprinting back to her home as quickly as she could.

Two hours later, Serena was holding a duster in one hand and piloting a vacuum cleaner with another, as she attempted to rid her apartment of every last speck of dirt and dust. She was drenched in sweat from her deep-cleaning marathon, having already laundered her sheets, washed the dishes in her sink, and scrubbed down the kitchen and the bathroom. She was determined to make her place absolutely spotless. Her guest deserved nothing less.

It had been a month and change since she had started working with the Princess of Hoenn, and she had expected to stop feeling starstruck weeks ago, but nothing of the sort happened. If anything, she was even more nervous and awkward around the celebrity coordinator than she had been when they met. There was an upside to this, as it constantly pushed Serena to perform her best, so she could measure up to her accomplished peers. The downside was, of course… everything else. Stumbling over her words, staring incessantly when she thought May wasn't looking, heart frequently racing in her chest… the sooner Serena got over her friend's fame, the sooner she could start functioning like a normal person again.

After scanning her living room three times for anything else to clean, Serena stashed the vacuum and duster before dashing into the bathroom with a meticulously chosen outfit. One shower later, Serena was adjusting her hair in the mirror, tugging individual strands into place as she adjusted her blouse, trying to determine just how casual she was supposed to look.

She nearly shrieked as the doorbell rang, jumping out of her socks. She ran over to her front door with her heart pounding in her ears, peeking through the peephole to confirm who was on the other side. May was there, as expected, dressed in her casual red outfit with matching bandanna, which Serena had seen her in many times before. In her right hand, she held a plastic bag that contained what appeared to be three portions of food, which May would certainly consume two of at minimum.

Serena had a brief moment of panic as she sized up May's appearance. Was Serena's own outfit not casual enough? Was it too casual? Would May think that she was too vain about her appearance? Was she drastically overthinking a routine interaction that May wasn't thinking twice about? She was absolutely doing that, but she knew herself well enough to know that she wasn't going to stop.

She eventually had to step back and open the door, placing a smile on her face as her eyes met May's. "Hi, May! Good to see you! Thanks for coming by!"

"No problem!" May's eyes darted over her hostess, as a grin spread across her face. "That's a cute outfit! Not that I'd expect any less from you."

"Thanks! It's just something I threw together," Serena lied, as she felt steam issuing from her ears. She stepped back to allow her guest inside. "Come on in!"

May stepped into Serena's entryway, taking a look around as Serena closed the door behind her. "I like your place! It's cozy. And I like how you've decorated it."

"Thank you!" Serena stepped forward, reminding herself how to be a good hostess. "I'm sure it's not as nice as yours, though. Do you want a drink? I've got water, soda, juice, tea…"

"I'm fine with water," May answered, following Serena into her tiny kitchen. "I got us dinner from this Paldean place I've been meaning to try for a while. I couldn't decide what to get, so I got some of everything. Have you ever had Paldean food?"

"I can't say I have." Serena opened her cabinet and fetched a couple of water glasses.

"Oh, it's delicious!" May placed the bag of food on the relatively small kitchen table, pulling plastic containers out of it. "They have amazing seafood, great sausage… it's all really fresh, really flavorful. You'll love it."

Serena grinned as she filled the glasses with ice and water, happy to let May lead the conversation for now. "I didn't realize you were such a foodie, May."

"A foodie? You're talking to the culinary queen of Hoenn." She opened one of the three containers, revealing a dish made primarily of rice and shrimp. "There aren't many places I haven't eaten at, even the really busy ones. I remember making my friends run through town to get to a noodle place before it was filled up."

Serena couldn't hold back a giggle as she set the water glasses on the table, before moving to get plates and silverware as well. "I hope it was worth it."

"Oh, it was. I think my friend Ash ate three bowls of them."

Serena nearly dropped the plate she was holding. "Ash?"

"Mhmm." May didn't notice Serena's pause, as she opened another container of food. "Ash Ketchum. He's a trainer-"

"Ash Ketchum?!" Serena whirled around, clutching the plates to her chest so they didn't slip out of her grasp. "I know him! I traveled with him, too!"

"What? Really?"

"Yes!" Serena rushed over to the table and deposited the plates. "We traveled through Kalos together a few months back! That's when I started performing!"

"No way!" May grinned from ear to ear, excited to have found a shared connection with her colleague, especially one connected to pleasant memories. "Was he still running all over from gym to gym when you were with him?"

"Oh gosh, yes." Serena laughed as she fetched silverware and napkins. "He was so single-minded, always focused on battling, training and getting gym badges."

"That's him, alright." May started ladling food onto the two plates. "All he was doing was training and battling… and eating." Her expression softened. "Or helping people who needed it, I guess. He was really selfless… more than almost anyone I've ever met."

"Me, too. He really was a sweetheart." Serena took a seat at the table, feeling some of the tension flowing out of her body. The nerves she had felt earlier were starting to fade, as May, the Princess of Hoenn was replaced in her mind with May, the Ordinary and Chatty Young Girl. Having an opportunity to talk about something she enjoyed - or someone, in this case - was going a long way toward helping her relax and unwind.

The two of them continued to eat and talk, sharing stories about Ash, and their travels, and their travels with Ash specifically, which was a separate subject all its own. They eventually finished off their plates with no end in sight to the conversation, and continued to trade stories as they cleaned up the kitchen, the original purpose of their visit completely forgotten.

May had been right about one thing - Paldean food was delicious.

"Runner-up on your first try?" May marveled. "That's amazing! I didn't realize you were so new at it. You're a natural, clearly."

Serena smiled sheepishly, cheeks tinged with pink, as she sank into her chair with a mug of hot tea. "I wouldn't say 'natural'… the less said about my first showcase, the better." She took a sip, letting the tea coat her throat.

"I feel that," May replied, holding her own mug. "My first showcase was kind of a mess. I couldn't even throw my Poké Ball correctly."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"I'm serious! I tried to send out my Beautifly and fell over as I was throwing the Poké Ball!" May insisted. "Then we had this whole frisbee routine and I nearly screwed it up, and then…"

Serena sat back and allowed May to go on ranting, as she had a few times that night already. They had been talking for over two hours already, and as far as Serena was concerned, the start of the evening might as well have been a different lifetime. There was no more being starstruck by the Princess of Hoenn. There was no more panic, no more obsession about making a good first impression. The veil of limerence had been lifted from her eyes, and she felt as if she was truly meeting her idol for the first time.

May really was just like any other girl their age. If Serena was being honest with herself, May was… a bit of a nerd, when it came to things she liked. Her love for food was not to be underestimated, and Serena had gotten one long lecture already about the finer points of Hoennese vs. Sinnohan cuisine. She was similarly invested and single-minded in her performances, though Serena supposed someone would have to be in order to become a Top Coordinator.

Serena preferred May this way, she decided. She was no longer the intimidating, famous coordinator that all of Hoenn seemed to love. She was just a girl. A funny, talented, respected, sociable, outgoing, knowledgeable, fashionable, highly attractive…

Serena lowered her eyes to her mug and took another sip. May had a lot of positive qualities, sure, but there was no need to let this get out of hand. She was just a girl. Just like anyone else.

"Oh my gosh, the time!" May suddenly sat up, her eyes on the homemade clock Serena had bought from a craftswoman in Verdanturf Town. "We were supposed to be talking about our routines!"

Serena followed her eyes, gasping when she saw how late it was. "Oh, no! I didn't even realize!" She groaned and sat back. "Well, it's probably too late to start talking shop now. Lisia isn't going to be happy about this…"

"Well, it'll be fine," May replied, setting aside her empty mug of tea. "I can just come by again tomorrow evening. Is that alright? Are you busy?"

"Of course it's alright!" Serena answered without a moment's hesitation. "I don't mind. This was a really fun evening."

May beamed. "I think so, too. You're fun to talk to."

"So are you!" Serena giggled. "Maybe a bit too much, considering." She was relieved at how easily the words came out, no longer stifled by intimidation.

May snickered, making her way toward the front door of Serena's apartment. "Alright, next time we eat in silence and then we get right to planning. Sound good?"

"Perfect." Serena hurried over to the door and opened it for May, stepping aside. She raised her hand to wave goodbye, but was startled when May took a step closer and wrapped the girl in a warm, firm hug.

"Thanks for having me over. Tonight was really nice."

Serena needed a moment to regain her bearings and let her heart come back down to Earth, but once she did, she wrapped her arms around May in return. "Yeah… thanks for coming." She could feel a pleasant warmth emanating from her chest, spreading throughout her body, focusing primarily on her blushing cheeks. She kept holding onto May for several long seconds before she felt the girl step away, at which point she retracted her arms.

"Have a good night, Serena." May finally stepped out of the door, turning and walking down the hallway outside, keeping her eyes on Serena's for as long as she could. Serena matched her gaze until May looked away, and continued staring until she was totally out of view.

Serena slowly shut the door and locked it, before turning around and leaning against it, her hands clasped over her chest and a giddy smile etched onto her face. Her hands soon moved to her burning cheeks, as she slid down into a sitting position, thinking about the long, lingering hug the two girls had shared, and their long, unbroken gaze as May was walking away. Her heart was racing once again, after being calm for nearly the entire evening, but this time her smothering nerves had been replaced with excitement and anticipation. Tomorrow's visit couldn't come soon enough for her.

Maybe being a little starstruck was okay, after all.