Last time, our heroes had arrived in Redfox Town, a tourist destination for the famous Misty Jungle! It's here that Serena's next Pokémon Pageant will take place. However, here, she encountered some familiar faces: Violet from the pageant in Violetrose Town, but even Jessie from Team Rocket! Now, she's being forced to participate against them. All three of these ladies made it to the second round, and now it's time for Violet's performance!

The spotlight shone on Violet, who stood with Mimikyu and her Krabby. She took a deep breath, and she looked out at the audience before her, watching in anticipation.

We got this... yes... Violet thought. Mimikyu slowly slithered out in front of her, and it used Baby Doll Eyes, spraying hearts at the audience. But then, it slithered from side to side, continuing to use Baby Doll Eyes. It moved back in forth with an almost hypnotic rhythm, but then, Krabby picked it up with Psychic, lifting it up in the air, but still swaying it from side to side as Mimikyu continued to spray hearts. But then, Mimikyu came to a stop, sitting frozen in place. Then, it suddenly used Hone Claws, unleashing a bright orange light, as it spun and stuck out its claws from under its disguise.

Then, Krabby put its claws together and formed a Water Pulse. It kept growing and growing its attack, until suddenly, Mimikyu dropped down and slashed open the ball of water with Shadow Claw, causing it to burst open and send rain down on the whole stage. Seeing this, the audience applauded.

Serena was backstage watching this. Violet, she really was something else, wasn't she? Her style was definitely unorthodox, but Serena kept wondering, how and why? Why use a style like this in a place where beauty and grace were expected? And how are you supposed to battle the usual style?

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, popping up behind her. Serena nearly jumped out of her skin, before she saw the blue Pokémon and said, "Oh, Wobbuffet, you scared me."

"Yeah, it gets excited for this sort of thing," came a voice, and Serena turned to see Jessie, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, yeah, it helped you with Contests and Showcases, didn't it?" said Serena.

"Yeah," said Jessie, looking aver at her old Pokémon. "It wasn't half bad, really. We didn't always win, but... Wobbuffet would never give up."

Wobbuffet looked at its old trainer, but then it looked away at the wall. Jessie sighed to herself, and then said, "Oh, why am I even talking to you? I don't commune with... twerps." She then walked away.

Serena looked after her. Jessie was doing her best to hide it, but Serena could see it written all over her face. She still missed Wobbuffet. She looked over to see the blue Pokémon, but it was looking over at the wall, looking a bit depressed.

Against her better judgment, she asked Wobbuffet, "Do you still miss her? Jessie?"

Wobbuffet looked at Serena, but said nothing. But Serena kept talking, "It's okay. It's understandable if you do. You two were partners for a long time."

Wobbuffet still didn't respond, but Serena came over to it and placed a hand on its head, petting it. "Hey, if you like, you can perform with me. I'll bet you miss it, huh?"

Wobbuffet looked up at her, silent for a moment, but slowly shook its head, saying, "Wobbuffet."

Serena sighed and said, "I understand. Well, you want to watch Jessie's performance now?"


It was now time for Jessie to take the stage, decked out in her finest, she threw up her PokéBalls, and out popped Napiat and Solarfly. Looking at the crowd in front of her, she couldn't help but grin at herself. Yes, I belong up here on this stage! And no twerp or twerpette is gonna take that away from!

She raised her hand, and Napiat coiled around her, before launching her up in the air. As she flew upwards, Solarfly grabbed her with Psychic, allowing her to stay afloat for a second before being brought back down. Solarfly then used Struggle Bug, throwing out bits of energy before grabbing them with Psychic, spinning them around itself, Jessie, and Napiat.

Finally, Jessie pointed at Napiat, who used Iron Tail to smack away the Struggle Bugs, which exploded into slowly raining dust. After this, Jessie and her Pokémon struck their best pose, and the audience applauded.

"Ah, yes, thank you! Your beloved Madame Jocelyn just loves the cries of her adoring public!" said Jessie, dancing with glee.


Eventually, Jessie and her Pokémon walked off the stage, but Jessie looked back at the still applauding crowd with a wistful look.

"Nap?" said Napiat, looking at Jessie confused.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Jessie. "It's just... it's been a while since I was last on stage like this." Pausing for a second, she said, "Of course, Wobbuffet was by our side, wasn't it?" Closing her eyes and sighing wistfully, she said, "I miss Wobbuffet. Why'd I ever drive it away? I never even knew how much it meant to me... until it was gone. I took it for granted, and now Wobbuffet is gone. Gone to Team Twerp, most likely forever."

"Wob?" came a voice. Suddenly, Jessie turned in shock to see both Wobbuffet and Serena standing by behind the curtain.

"Huh? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Wobbuffet wanted to see you perform," said Serena. She looked at the blue Pokémon before looking back at Jessie. "You know, believe it or not, Wobbuffet's missed you a lot too."

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said, raised its hand to its forehead. Jessie looked at her former Pokémon, and seeing it get excited like this, just like it always did by her side, it started driving tears out of her eyes.

"Oh, Wobbuffet... I-"

"And now, it's time for Miss Serena's performance!" called Fenwick's voice.

As the crowd got excited again, Serena said, "Oh, I guess that's my cue." She looked at Wobbuffet and said, "Be right back, okay?"


Serena stood on the stage, Quokkawatt by her feet and Lunoth above her head. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her Pokémon, and struck a pose, as Quokkawatt jumped up and Lunoth grabbed it. Lunoth then tossed it up and threw out some Silver Wind attacks. Quokkawatt jumped onto and then off the crescent-shaped attacks, before it then used Discharge, blowing up the Silver Wins attacks and scattering dust all over the stage.

The audience seemed impressed as Quokkawatt landed on the back of Lunoth. Quokkawatt then put its paws together and formed and Electro Ball before launching it in the air. Lunoth then luanched another Silver Wind at it, slicing it in half. The two halves fell down before bursting into a huge glow. The audience applauded, and Serena grinned as it was time for the grand finale.

Quokkawatt slipped itself down into Lunoth's grip, its cheeks glowing with electricty. But then, suddenly, Quokkawatt slipped, and it fell down to the ground. Before anyone could even gasp, Quokkawatt accidentally burst with electricity, creating a cloud of smoke.

Serena gasped as she watched Quokkawatt slowly stood back up. Both of them looked forward to see the crowd, now looking at them with disappointed and disapproving looks.

No! Grr... I knew it! I knew I should've trained with Quokkawatt more! She looked down at Quokkawatt, who was looking around at the disappointed crowd nervously, before it covered its face in shame.


Who's that Pokémon?

Filled with pheromones, its poisonous gas can be diluted to use in the production of luscious perfumes.


After what felt like an eternity to Serena, it was time for everyone to vote. She stood on the stage under a spotlight alongside Jessie, Violet, and the fourth girl. She felt so embarassed to be on stage after what happened, and she felt like the audience was still staring a hole through her. Fenwick stood before them and said, "Now then, it is time for you to cast your votes! Who do you think should progress to the battle round!?"

Everyone pulled out their pads and cast the votes. The votes were collected on the screen above, and, unsurprisingly to Serena, her meter was the lowest. But then, she felt upset when she saw Violet and Jessie as the top two.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Madame Jocelyn and Miss Violet will be facing each other in the battle round!"

The audience cheered, but Serena sadly hung her head and left the stage with the other girl. Violet was breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the crowd cheer. Jessie, of course, was milking the cheers for everything they were worth.

"Well, well, well," said Meowth from the crowd. "Looks like the little Twerpette wasn't as pretty and elegant as she thought!"

"Ha! In your face!" said James. "Our Jessie is the true deal!"

Ash looked back at them annoyed. He wanted to say something, but he decided it wasn't worth it, so he decided to get up to go looking for Serena. He knew she was going to need some comfort.


Poor Serena was moping on a bench in the hallway. She had her eyes closed, until she heard a small squeak. She looked down to see Quokkawatt, looking at her with sad, guilty eyes. Despite her sadness, Serena petted the little Pokémon on its head. "It's okay, Quokkawatt. It wasn't really your fault. It was mine. The truth is... you just weren't ready. I never trained with you, so that's why you messed up. I should have held off on your Pageant debut until I worked out a proper routine for you."

Even so, Quokkawatt still felt terrible, so it jumped into Serena's arms, holding onto her.

"Hey, Serena," came Ash's voice, as Serena looked up to see him walking towards her. "You okay?"

Serena looked at the floor before saying, "I've been better, I guess."

"It's okay, Serena," said Ash, sitting down beside her. "There's always next time, right?"

"Yeah. But still..." said Serena, "Losing two Pageants in a row? I guess I'm just starting to feel like I'm losing my way."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm just worried I'm stuck in a rut right now," said Serena. "Like I don't know how to get out of it."

Ash was silent for a second, but his hand on top of hers. Serena looked at him surprised, but he looked at her with a determined look. "Come on. The Serena I know wouldn't just sit around sulking like this. She never gives up. She's the one who always keeps our spirits up. I know it's difficult, Serena, but sulking like this won't get you anywhere. You have to pick yourself up and keep going, right? Today, it was just a bad day. But it'll get better. You still believe in your Pokémon, right? You guys will figure this out together. And I'll be there to support you too."

Serena felt herself blushing a bit as she felt Ash clutching her hand. Sighing to herself, she said, "Yeah, you're right. I gotta snap out if this."

Ash smiled before he suddenly noticed someone else walking up to them. It was Violet, who gave them an amused look. "Uh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Ah, er, what's it to you?!" Serena fumbled as she turned to face Violet.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what happened out there?" Violet asked. "I thought you were more prepared than that."

"I don't know," said Serena. "My Quokkawatt really wanted to be on stage, and I thought it would be fine. But we never did any training together."

"Really? I thought you were better than that. You can't just put any random Pokémon on stage and expect it to be hit."

"Hey, my Pokémon wanted to be out there!" Serena said. "You don't have to gang up on me and my Pokémon just 'cause you and your Pokémon-"

However, Serena cut herself off before she finished that sentence. Both Violet and Ash were looking at her shocked, and to be honest, she was shocked at herself too. She didn't know where that came from. But she didn't mean it.

Yet, Violet suddenly got angry. "Excuse me, but what about me and my Pokémon? Were you just about say we're not good enough for Pokémon Pageants?!"

"What? N-no, I-" Serena stammered.

Violet, however, wasn't having it. "Oh, I see. We're just not cute or pretty enough for the little princess, are we? You think we're too creepy or weird to be in a Pageant?!"

"No, what I meant was-"

"I know what you meant!" Violet hissed. "I got news for you, princess! Maybe we aren't the kind of beautiful that you're used to, but that doesn't mean my Pokémon and I are not beautiful at all! We're as good as you are, and we belong here too!"

With that, Violet stormed off. Ash and Serena stood there stunned before Ash asked, "Serena, what did-"

"I-I don't know," said Serena. "I don't know what I was just saying. I didn't mean it, I-"

As she tried to find her words, she noticed something. "Say, where did Wobbuffet go?"


It's Salazzle!


Jessie was celebrating her win with James and Meowth. "Did you see that, boys!?"

"Yeah, yeah, we saw it," said Meowth.

"To think, our very own Jessie not only destroyed the Twerpette, but flew straight to the top!" said James. "And now she's about to show that creepy girl who's boss!"

"That's right!" said Jessie. "When it comes to pizzazz and grace, that creepy little witch won't know what hit her!"

However, as she was celebrating, she started thinking. "Though, to be fair, that girl does know her way around a Mimikyu, huh? I mean, getting people to gush over something like that is no easy feat. Believe me, I would know."

"Yeah, well, I'm in no rush to perform with a Mimikyu now, or anything," said Meowth.

"Well, the way she works with her Pokémon," said Jessie wistfully, "it kind of reminds me of performing with Wobbuffet."

"You really miss Wobbuffet, don't you?" said James.

"Of course I do," said Jessie. "I know we didn't always win, but it was still fun to do it together. Yeah, I remember how much Wobbuffet enjoyed itself on stage... I felt like those were the moments when the two of us connected the best." Slowly, she looked down at the floor. "Of course, those days are over, aren't they?"

"Wob?" came a voice. Team Rocket suddenly turned to see Wobbuffet standing there, a surprised look on its face.

"W-Wobbuffet?" said Jessie.

"Hey, Wobbuffet?" came another voice. Serena and Ash came through before they saw Wobbuffet. "Oh, there you are," said Serena. She then looked over to see Team Rocket and said, "Oh, were you just keeping an eye on them?"

"Hey, we weren't doing anything wrong!" said Jessie. "I-I was just getting ready for the battle round."

"Oh," said Serena before she took a deep breath. "Well, good luck. You earned it."

Jessie looked at her shocked. The Twerpette was complimenting her? But Serena continued. "Be ready for Violet, though. I've fought her before. She's not to be underestimated."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said Jessie. However, as she looked over at Wobbuffet, she suddenly spoke up. "Wobbuffet! I-I-" Wobbuffet looked at her confused, as she struggled to stammer the words out. "I-I would like you to be my partner for the battle round."

Everyone gasped, but Jessie continued. "I mean, just for one round. A-after that, you can go back to the... twerps."

"Wob?" Wobbuffet looked at her confused.

"It's just... I miss that. I miss performing with you," said Jessie. "We made such a good team, and... even if its only for a minute, I..."

Wobbuffet understood what she was saying, but felt unsure. However, Serena was thinking about Jessie's words, and she looked over at Wobbuffet. She placed her hand on the blue Pokémon and said, "Wobbuffet, you can battle with her if you want. We won't stop you. I think she really means it."

Wobbuffet looked at her surprised, before looking back at Jessie, who wasn't really looking it in the eyes, but rubbing the back of her neck. "Wob..." it said.


"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the battle round!" said Fenwick. "Our two final contestants, Madame Jocelyn and Miss Violet will now take the stage!"

The spotlights shone on Violet, who had her Mimikyu in front of her, and on Jessie, who was standing with Wobbuffet.

"Now, the rules are simple. These two will both get point meters which will deplete if their Pokémon gets hit or if their opponent has a better display. The round will end if either meter is emptied, or if time runs out, at which point the one with a higher meter left will win."

Jessie looked down at Wobbuffet, and she took a deep breath and said, "Wobbuffet, you and I will win this. Together. Okay? So don't worry. It'll be just like old times!"

"Wob," Wobbuffet simply nodded.

Meanwhile, Violet was whispering to Mimikyu, "Alright, Mimikyu, now's your time to shine, alright? We'll show everyone just how beautiful you really are." Mimikyu nodded.

"Alright, battle begin!" said Fenwick.

"Mimikyu, use Shadow Ball!" Mimikyu launched a purple ball at its opponent, but Jessie asked for a Mirror Coat, and Wobbuffet launched it away. Violet's meter when down.

Violet growled and asked for a Hone Claws. Mimikyu powered itself up, before Violet yelled, "Do it now!" Mimikyu suddenly disappeared into a puddle of purple on the ground.

Jessie gasped. That was Shadow Sneak. "Wobbuffet, get ready for a Counter!" Wobbuffet glowed in anticipation, before a purple void appeared next to its feet. But then...

"Dazzling Gleam!" Pink light poured out of the void, knocking Wobbuffet off its feet. And then, Mimikyu emerged, smacking Wobbuffet with its Shadow Sneak attack. Jessie's meter dropped like crazy.

Jessie gasped as she struggled to think. What now? How am I supposed to knock this Mimikyu off its balance?

"Wob!" Wobbuffet called out, snapping Jessie out of her thoughts. She looked up to see her old Pokémon saluting her with a reassuring look. Seeing this, she was able to grin and say, "Yeah, I'm nit giving up that easily!"

"Use Shadow Sneak again!" said Violet. Mimikyu slipped into the void again, but Jessie watched carefully this time. The void appeared below Wobbuffet, but Jessie didn't say anything just yet. But when she saw Mimikyu in the void, she yelled, "Counter!" Wobbuffet glowed just as Mimikyu made contact with it. Counter didn't do any damage due to Mimikyu's Ghost-typing, but Mimkyu was still sent flying, costing Violet many points.

Violet growled under her breath. This ain't over yet, she thought. "Use Shadow Ball!" Mimikyu charged up Shadow Ball, but then, "Now aim it at its feet!"

The Shadow Ball was launched at Wobbuffet's feet, but then Jessie yelled, "Fall over and use Mirror Coat!" Wobbuffet allowed itself to slide down in the floor, catching itself with its arms, before it glowed and sent Shadow Ball back to where it came from. Mimikyu barely dodged it, but slipped and fell as it landed.

Violet growled again, and demanded a Hone Claws. Mimikyu's display caused Jessie's points to fall, and then Violet ordered a Play Rough attack. Mimikyu charged forward, but just before it made contact...

BZZZT! The buzzer sounded, and signaling the end of the round. Mimikyu hit Wobbuffet hard, knocking it over, but it didn't matter.

"Ooh! That attack was too slow, I'm afraid!" said Fenwick. "Looking at the point meters, it looks like Madame Jocelyn just manged to win!"

"Yes! We did it, Wobbuffet!" said Jessie, suddenly running up to hug her old Pokémon.

"Wobbuffet!" cheered Wobbuffet. However, as Jessie realized what she was doing, she slowly let Wobbuffet go.

"Sorry, got... caught up in the moment..." she said, but Wobbuffet looked disappointed.

Violet, meanwhile, was standing there stunned, as Mimikyu slithered back over to her. It looked up at her with a sad face, but Violet quietly picked it up and gave it a hug. "It's okay... you tried your best."


"And that brings the Redfox Town Pageant to an end!" said Fenwick as he held up a silver medal. "And to the winner, Madame Jocelyn, we award her silver medal!"

Jessie happily took it and held it up for the crowd. "Yes... yes... I did it! I won!"


Much later outside, Serena was sitting with Ash, Vernon, Pikachu, and RotomoDex on a bench. "Man, who thought Jessie was so good at this?" said Serena.

"Guess we can't underestimate her, huh?" said Ash.

"In your face, Twerps!" came a voice, and they all looked over to see Meowth and James. "Looks like Jessie showed you all who's boss!" said Meowth.

"And taught everyone to be good sports about it, I see," Vernon snarked.

"Wobbuffet!" came a familiar voice. Serena looked over to see Wobbuffet coming up to them, Jessie right behind it.

"Heh, nice work in there, Wobbuffet," said Serena. "You're not bad really."

"Wob!"

"Heh, bet you regret letting Wobbuffet perform, huh?" said James. "Clearly, once Team Rocket, always Team Rocket!"

Jessie looked at James gloating for her, but then looked at the disgusted look Wobbuffet was giving him. "Hey!" she said. "Come on. Let's be good sports here, okay?" James and Meowth looked at her surprised, but she said, "I mean... let's not do anything to get on the Twerps' bad side here, okay?"

She then looked at Serena and said, "Well, uh, here's Wobbuffet back. Like we agreed."

"Wobbuffet," said Wobbuffet, rejoining its other friends.

Jessie, James, and Meowth all looked at it feeling a little sad, but Jessie said, "Well, we best be going now. See ya later, Team Twerp."

Team Rocket left, but both Jessie and Wobbuffet took one last, sad look at each other before they were gone. Seeing the sad look on Wobbuffet's face, the heroes petted its head in comfort.

Just then, Serena saw Violet walking by with her Mimikyu. She decided to walk up to her and call out, "Hey, Violet!"

Violet turned and said, "What do you want?"

"I-You did really well in there, Violet," said Serena. "You and Mimikyu. Don't worry, though. You guys guys were beautiful up there. You'll win next time."

"I know I will," said Violet. "Because you won't be around to give someone a Pokémon just to make me lose."

"Huh? What?" said Serena. "N-no, I didn't-"

"Sure, you didn't," said Violet. "Look, princess. Some day, I'll be Pageant Queen, and I'll prove to you and the world how beautiful we really are. And then you'll be sorry for what you said."

"Violet, please, I didn't really mean that!" said Serena. "I was just mad and I almost blurted it out! But I didn't mean that!"

Violet looked at her pleading eyes, and said, "I wish I could believe that. You know, when I was young, I always wanted to do this, but I was always told I wasn't pretty enough. Just because I liked creepy things and styles, I wasn't pretty enough." She looked down at Mimikyu, and said, "Mimikyu here just wants to be loved by everyone, too. Everyone thinks it's creepy. That's why I took it in." She looked at Serena and said, "I know my style isn't what people are used to, but it's who my Pokémon and I are. And it's just as good as your girly and pretty style."

Serena stood there stunned. "Violet... I-I didn't... But I never meant it that way! You gotta believe that."

Violet just looked at her before turning away and saying, "I've got places to be. See you later, princess." And she walked away with Mimikyu, as Serena stood there stunned.

She felt something at her feet, and looked down to see her Quokkawatt with a paw on her leg. She smiled and picked it up, petting its head and saying, "It's okay. There's always next time."

Serena lost another Pageant, but hopefully, she's come to understand her rivals a little better now. More to come...


As Jessie walked with James and Meowth, she just couldn't stop thinking about Wobbuffet. Being on stage like that, it reminded her so much of all the good times they shared. As she tried to fight the tears in her eyes, she made a decision.

That's it, Wobbuffet. I'm going to win you back. No matter what!

As the journey continues!

TO BE CONTINUED!