Later that afternoon, Ash and his friends had arrived in Lagoon Town, and were standing in front of an exceptionally tall building in the middle of downtown.
"So this is an Ace Center, huh?" Ash wondered, craning his neck upward for a better look. The building proper was only about three stories tall, but it was topped by a tall spire that stretched upward into the sky, dwarfing many of the other buildings around it.
"We saw one of these in Laverre City," Brock added, as Iris nodded. "We were going to stay there since the Pokémon Center was full."
"Team Ace has been building these all over Kalos," Serena explained. "They're a lot like Pokémon Centers. They won't heal your Pokémon, but there are beds, food, games, some community event stuff… they're really useful."
"Does it have to be so tall?" Iris asked, her eyes following the spire all the way up. "It's kind of gaudy."
"I guess it's part of their whole 'flying, sky-high' motif?" Serena shrugged. "They don't look great, but who's going to complain about it?"
They all stepped inside as the automatic doors opened, looking around, seeing lots of people milling about in the lobby. Some of them were sitting in chairs and relaxing, some were talking, some were trading Pokémon, and some of them were playing card games together. They could hear a number of voices from further inside the building, as well. Clearly this was a popular hangout.
"Sure seems a lot like a Pokémon Center," Ash commented, looking around. "It's cool, but why are they doing this? Do they make money off of this somehow?"
"No, I don't think they do," Serena answered. "I think this is all charity work, basically. The person leading Team Ace is a billionaire, named Byron."
"Byron?" Brock spoke up curiously. "Not the Sinnoh Gym Leader?"
She shook her head in response. "No, it's a different Byron. He used to be in the Kalos Air Force, before he became rich. Then he started doing all of his Team Ace stuff after the Vein Collapse."
"The Vein Collapse?" Ash looked over at her. "What's that?"
Serena turned back to him, incredulous, eyebrows raised. "What do you…" she began, before quickly calming herself. "Right, sorry. You don't live here. Um…" She looked around the lobby for a moment before walking over to a large map of Kalos, motioning for the others to follow.
"The Vein Collapse was a huge disaster that happened in Kalos about three years ago," she began to explain, as the others walked up behind her. "This long, enormous sinkhole opened up along the Western half of the region, about five hundred feet wide, and…" She reached up and touched the map with her index finger, drawing a line that began near the Kalos Power Plant, traveled along the northern part of the region, then dipped down through the mountains to the west, stopping just short of Cyllage City. "…About this long."
Iris goggled, stunned at the path Serena had just traced. "Are you kidding?! That has to be a hundred miles long!"
"A little more than that," Serena replied, stepping back, as Ash and Brock stared in amazement. "All of the coastal cities were really hit hard, some of them just from the quaking, not even from the vein itself. It was a huge amount of damage, and the government wasn't really well equipped to handle it."
"That's incredible," Brock muttered, eyes following the line, trying to imagine how much chaos that would have inflicted. "What could have caused something like that?"
"It's still a little unclear," she answered. "Most likely, it has to do with some old and ancient mines that might have been carved out under Kalos. If you go to some parts of the vein, you can see old wooden structures like that."
"Wow… so what happened?" Ash asked. "How did they fix it?"
She sighed. "I mean… a lot of it didn't get fixed. There are still large swaths of northwest Kalos that are collapsed."
"Like Route 13…" Iris commented, remembering how they couldn't travel right from Lumiose City to Coumarine City, putting the pieces together in her mind. Serena nodded in response.
"About a week after that, Byron went on TV and made this big announcement that he was forming Team Ace. They were going to do things like crime fighting, supporting travelers, funding Pokémon Centers and other things like that. That let the government focus on fixing what they could from the Collapse, like the rivers and the Power Plant. Team Ace has done lots of things for us since then."
"Well, it's good for us that they do," Ash commented, as they turned and moved toward the stairs, wanting to claim some beds. "Team Rocket might have taken off with Pikachu if it weren't for them." Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, voiced his agreement.
"I wonder why this Byron went to so much trouble?" Brock wondered aloud. "You think he's just that altruistic?"
"I doubt it's just that," Iris added. "I bet he's just trying to get more people to like him." The cynicism was clear in her voice.
"Well, it's working," Ash replied, as the four of them walked into one of the rooms full of bunk beds; they each quickly claimed a bed, with the boys on one side and the girls on the other. Iris tossed her bag on the top bunk while Serena sat on the bottom one, opening up her performance bag and looking through it anxiously, making sure everything was in place. Ash watched her do so for a moment, eyebrows raising as she pulled out a thin, white tube roughly the length of her forearm, looking it over.
"What's that?" he asked, stepping closer curiously. "It looks like a giant lipstick tube or something."
She smirked at him. "That's exactly what it is." She reached it out toward his face. "Here, let me put some on you."
"Ack!" He backed up reflexively, bumping into his bed and falling back onto it, as Serena laughed.
"No, it's not lipstick, Ash. It's something I'll be using in the performance tonight."
Iris stepped closer for a better look. "You're allowed to use props?"
"We're allowed one," Serena answered, placing the tube back into her bag. "I had this specially made, to work with me and my Pokémon. If it works, it's going to be great."
"What is it?" Brock asked, highly curious.
She grinned in response. "You'll all find out tonight, when everyone else does." She zipped the bag up, placing it over her shoulder as she stood. "Come on, let's go get some food before I head to the theater. After the day we've had already, I'm pretty hungry."
The others nodded, walking out the door, with Serena following them after adjusting her bag on her shoulder. As they walked downstairs, continuing to talk about Kalos and Team Ace, none of them paid much attention to the mysterious figures in long coats in the lobby. As Serena walked by, one of them stealthily reached out and very carefully unzipped her bag. The second one quickly reached in, pulling out the tube before zipping the bag back up. Both of them dashed away as fast as possible, blending in with the crowd.
"Hm?" Serena noticed a gentle tug on the bag, glancing down at it, then around at the rest of the lobby. Not seeing anybody, she shrugged it off, assuming it got caught on something. She turned back, following the others, as the two mysterious figures traveled back upstairs, prop in tow.
An hour and a half later, the crew had eaten their fill and traveled to the Lagoon Theater, on the opposite side of Lagoon Town. The theater was less populated than the one in Coumarine City, as their current town was much smaller; the theater was smaller as well, seating fewer people, but the showcase had the same value as any other. As they walked through the lobby and down one of the hallways leading to the dressing room, Iris looked around curiously, seeing a lot of scared-looking girls in fancy dresses, with their Pokémon around them.
"Are these girls all performers?" she wondered. "Why do some of them look so terrified?"
Serena glanced around, taking a look. "This is probably the first showcase for a lot of them. Small-town showcases have smaller crowds. Those are less scary for newbies." She noticed several of the performers looking back at her, a bit awed, causing her to flush a bit and look down. Moments later, they reached the door of one of the dressing rooms, and everyone but Serena stopped a bit short, wanting to give the girls inside some privacy.
Ash smiled wide as she stepped up to the door. "Good luck, Serena! I know you're going to do great!"
She glanced back at him, smiling wide. "Thanks, Ash!" She unzipped her bag with one hand, reaching in, already running through her preparation checklist in her mind. "I can't wait for you all to…" She stopped talking suddenly, eyes widening as she rifled through her bag a bit more frantically. "Wait…"
Everyone watched, worried, as she dropped her bag to the ground and started looking through it with both hands, growing increasingly panicked. "Where is it, where is it, it has to be here…" She started pulling out clothes, accessories, makeup, trying to empty the bag in search of her lost item. "I know it put it back in here! Why is it gone?!"
"What's wrong?" Iris stepped forward, looking over the contents of the bag that were now all over the floor. She quickly realized what item should have been there, but wasn't. "Oh my gosh, that prop…"
"It's not here!" Serena started to panic, one hand running through her hair and holding her head. "I was so certain I brought it! Did I leave it back at the Ace Center?!"
"When do you go on?" Ash asked, stepping forward as well. "When do you need it?"
"I need it…" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and think through the schedule. "I would be performing last in the freestyle round again, and with the Theme Performance… probably 45 to 50 minutes from now?"
"Got it!" Ash started quickly walking backward, toward the entrance to the theater. "I'll be back with it by then, I promise!" He turned around and started running off, Pikachu in tow.
"Please hurry, Ash!" Serena called out after him, as everyone watched him run off. As he disappeared out the doors, she exhaled and started packing her bag again, with the assistance of Brock and Iris, before disappearing back into the dressing room, needing to get ready for the Theme Performance.
Twenty minutes later, Ash raced back into the room of the Ace Center where all of them were staying, a little out of breath. He quickly dashed toward Serena's bed, pulling the blankets back when he didn't see it right away. As he searched all around the bunk, he failed to notice the door closing behind him, firmly locking in place from the outside, as two people in long coats and hats emerged from the corners of the room. They stood in front of the door, waiting to be noticed, as Ash peeked under the bed, groaning in frustration.
"I don't see it anywhere… where could it be?" He stood up, turning toward the door. "I hope it didn't fall out while…" He immediately froze in place, heart stopping when he saw the door blocked by two strangers, not having noticed their presence at all.
"Who… who are you?" He took a step back, as Pikachu dropped to all fours, trying his best to look menacing. His eyes widened as one of them reached inside their coat, pulling out a familiar white tube.
"Looking for something?" the shadowy figure spoke, in a familiar female voice. Ash's eyes widened, recognizing the voice, as both of them grabbed their coats and hats and whipped them off, revealing the dirty and tattered uniforms they had on underneath.
"No way!" Ash gritted his teeth. "Not you two again!"
"You can't get rid of us that easily!" Jessie smirked, folding her arms, still holding onto the prop. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!" James added.
"To protect the world from mmphmph!" Jessie's speech was quickly interrupted, as Ash grabbed the blanket off of the floor and flung it at her face, muffling her as it wrapped around her head.
"I don't have time for this!" He reached down and threw out a Poké Ball, with Snivy appearing in the room seconds later, as James tried to get Jessie free of the blanket. "Snivy! Trip them up and get that prop!"
Snivy nodded, reaching out with her vines, snagging one foot from each of the two villains in front of them; she yanked hard, toppling them both to the ground. As they tried to get up, she used one of her vines to snag the tube, pulling it back as Ash worked to open up the window behind him. Seconds later, both Jessie and James sat up, Jessie finally getting the blanket off of her head.
"You little brat!" she exclaimed as her face emerged, furious. "We finally remember our speech, and you interrupt it! How rude can you get?!"
"Ask me if I care!" Ash managed to get the window open, looking back at his Pokémon. "Pikachu, Snivy, let's go!"
Both of his Pokémon nodded and moved back toward him, Pikachu leaping into his arms. Both Jessie and James watched with wide eyes as he put one foot on the windowsill, taking the tube from Snivy before leaping out. His Pokémon quickly followed him.
"What?!" They both ran over to the windowsill, watching as Ash and Pikachu started to fall down to the ground; they was dropping down two stories toward solid concrete, which was not going to be a fun experience. As Ash fell, he looked up as he felt one of Snivy's vines wrapping around his hand, and he grasped it tightly. Snivy looked back upward, sending out her other vine to grab at the windowsill. Ash started swinging down toward the ground instead of falling, his feet touching the concrete safely instead of slamming into it. Snivy sighed in relief, letting go of the windowsill as Ash ran forward, catching her in his arms.
"Better luck next time, guys!" he called out, returning Snivy to her Poké Ball before turning and running back toward the Lagoon Theater. Jessie growled, pounding the windowsill with her fist.
"That little… I can't believe he escaped like that!"
"Honestly, that was kind of impressive," James spoke, a bit of wonder in his voice as he watched Ash run off. "He's pretty fearless, you have to give him that."
"We can praise him later!" she retorted, turning and running to the door, pounding on it. "We have to get after him!" Meowth quickly unlocked the door from the other side, and all three of them raced downstairs in pursuit.
Back at the theater, Brock and Iris were sitting in the audience, watching the first of the three finalists dancing through her Freestyle Performance, accompanied by the bird-like Swellow and the flower Pokémon Roselia. They were trying their best to focus on the stage, but in the back of their minds, they were both worried about Serena's upcoming performance. She had sailed through the Theme Performance, but her fate in the final round still remained in doubt.
"Do you think he made it back?" Iris whispered.
"I doubt he's back yet," Brock responded quietly. "He's going to be cutting it pretty close, considering how far away we were." He frowned a bit. "Serena might have to perform without this prop, if she's unlucky. Maybe she can win anyway?"
"I'm not sure about that," she replied, watching as the ten-year-old brunette on stage danced her way into a one-handed handstand. "This Madison girl on stage right now, she's been really…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the performer lost her balance, falling forward and landing flat on her back. Nearly the entire audience gasped as one, as both Iris and Brock winced.
"Alright, never mind," Iris continued. "Still, it's better if Serena doesn't have to take chances."
Brock nodded, and they both watched as the extremely embarrassed performer got back to her feet, continuing her dance, much more chastened than before. They both hoped that when Serena took the stage, she'd have everything she needed.
Running as quickly as he could with Pikachu in his arms, Ash grinned wide as he saw the Lagoon Theater come into view. He quickly checked the time on his phone, seeing that he was going to cut it extremely close. He was already breathing heavily, tapping into the last of his stamina reserves, not about to let Serena down when she needed him.
Holding onto Pikachu tightly, he yelped and screeched to a stop as a ball of light fell from the sky and landed in front of him, exploding in a small burst of energy. Looking upward, he saw a large, dragonfly-esque Yanmega flying overhead, recovering energy for another usage of her Ancient Power attack.
"You aren't getting away that easily!" He turned around, eyes widening and fists clenching as he saw Jessie and James chasing after him on stolen bicycles, with Meowth standing on James's handlebars.
"You… why can't you two just leave me alone?!" Ash turned around and started running again, pulling Snivy back out, needing as much help as he could get. "Snivy, use Leaf Storm on those bicycles!"
Snivy leaped onto Ash's shoulder, raising her arms and summoning a flurry of leaves around her, flinging them downward toward the tires of the oncoming bicycles.
"Yanmega! Sonic Boom!" Jessie called out, pedaling faster. Her Pokémon chirped and aimed her wings downward, firing a shockwave of air directly into the path of the oncoming leaves. The leaves scattered and flew about, sent off course, failing to damage the bicycles in any way.
Ash glanced backward, gritting his teeth, holding Pikachu up in the air. "Electro Ball, Pikachu! Get that Yanmega!"
He tossed Pikachu into the air in front of him, as his Pokémon formed a ball of electricity on his tail; he flung it upward toward Yanmega before falling back down into Ash's arms. The Electro Ball attack flew upward, but the dragonfly Pokémon was able to just barely dodge, its movements extremely quick. Yanmega cried out and charged up its energy, firing another blast of Ancient Power toward Ash, nearly knocking him off his feet. He quickly regained his balance, starting to worry about his chances of evading capture, as his pursuers got closer and closer. The Pokémon flying overhead started charging up once again, longer than before, preparing to unleash the most powerful form of Ancient Power she could muster.
"What do I do, what do I do…" He looked to his left and right, seeing a number of trees lining the walkway he was running along. As he saw the immaculately-trimmed leaves and branches, he got an idea, glancing sideways at the Pokémon on his shoulder.
"Snivy! Grab some branches and trip up those bikes!"
Snivy nodded, understanding quickly, reaching her vines out to the left and right, snapping a couple of branches off of the trees surrounding them. She quickly turned around and stretched her vines out toward Jessie and James, quickly sliding the branches in between the spokes of their front wheels.
Both of them yelped in panic as their bicycles locked up, flipping them forward and launching them over the handlebars; all three of them landed in a pile on the walkway, their stolen bicycles flying forward and landing on top of them. Yanmega stopped its pursuit, turning around, panicked and worried about her trainer, Jessie; she was still holding a massive ball of white energy in her hands.
"Now, Pikachu! Thunder Bolt that Yanmega!"
Pikachu nodded and jumped onto Ash's other shoulder, charging himself up for a few moments before unleashing a powerful bolt of electricity. The bolt landed a direct hit on Yanmega, who yelped in pain for a moment before falling to the ground, sore and dazed.
"You…" Jessie growled, sitting up. "You're going to pay for…" She stopped herself as a bright light entered her vision, and she looked downward toward it, curious. James and Meowth looked toward it as well, seeing the large, bright ball of energy from Yanmega's last Ancient Power attack. They all panicked, trying to scramble away, before the ball exploded in a massive burst of energy, sending all four of them flying away, screaming.
Ash sighed in relief. "That should take care of them. Let's go, guys!" He started running as fast as he could, panting hard, but not about to stop now. He held the white tube tightly in his hands, hoping that the pursuit of Team Rocket wouldn't make him too late.
"An excellent performance from Laura!" the master of ceremonies spoke into his microphone, as the second performer concluded her dance. "Everyone, give her a big hand!"
From the side of the stage, Serena watched as the audience applauded her competition, her heart sinking as she realized she would be performing in a matter of seconds. She had discussed some small changes with her Pokémon, but they hadn't had any time to practice; something was almost guaranteed to go wrong during her performance. She could already see herself losing at the end of the show, with the showcase host handing a Princess Key to Laura instead of her.
"And now, for our final performance, the talented Serena! Let's give her a proper Lagoon Town welcome!"
From the audience, Iris and Brock watched as she nervously walked on stage, already looking defeated. They scanned her hands, quickly realizing that the prop she needed was not there. Ash hadn't made it in time.
Serena took a deep breath, closing her eyes, waiting for her music to start as the applause wound down. Her meager concentration was interrupted by the sound of doors bursting open, causing her to jump a bit. Everyone in the room turned around and looked backwards, seeing an exhausted Ash running down the center aisle, holding the white tube in his hand. She gasped, her eyes lighting up and her heart leaping.
"Here!" he called out weakly as he reached the front of the room, tossing the tube on stage just as the performance music began. Serena stepped forward and caught it in her hand, swinging her arm backward in one elegant motion, causing most of the white container to fly off and clatter backstage, revealing a long, crimson ribbon that quickly unrolled itself.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing into a sitting position in the aisle, gasping for air after his marathon sprint. He watched as Serena started dancing with her ribbon, spinning about, and he wondered what it was that made this particular prop so special. His question was answered thirty seconds into the performance: as she spun the ribbon around above her head, her Delphox stepped forward and touched her flaming stick to the ribbon, causing the entire thing to ignite.
The audience gasped in shock and amazement as the dancing began in earnest, with Serena dragging the flaming ribbon behind her, spinning it about. The ribbon left traces of flame in the air behind it, which lingered in place for just a few moments; she used this to create flaming rings in the air, which her Pancham eagerly leaped and flipped through, clearing every single one with ease.
Once again, Ash was unable to look away from Serena as she danced, jumped, spun and cartwheeled around the stage. Several times, he practically stopped breathing as she came uncomfortably close to the flame trailing about her, but she never once got burned. He tried to think about how many times she must have practiced this, to be able to execute it so expertly, because she looked as if she had done it thousands of times.
As the music started winding down, she began spinning in place in the middle of the stage, the ribbon creating flaming rings around her. As Pancham and Sylveon continued performing in front of her, Delphox reached out and took the handle of the ribbon out of Serena's outstretched hand. She grinned and moved her hand slightly, running it along the ribbon and collecting the flames in her ungloved palm, causing the audience to gasp once again.
Ash watched with wide eyes as she completely stripped the ribbon of its flame, before she tossed it into the air above her. Her Sylveon used one last Fairy Wind to send the flame outward, flying above the heads of the audience, where it slowly disappeared into embers. Serena grinned wide as she finished her performance in center stage, one foot in front of the other, arms stretched out above her head in a Y shape. Ash, along with half the audience, carefully inspected her hands, but found no signs that she had been burnt at all, despite holding fire in one of them just seconds ago.
The audience broke into loud applause, not nearly as loud as the one in Coumarine City due to the smaller size, but they were appreciative all the same. Serena was still grinning from ear to ear as she stepped back, while Madison, Laura and the master of ceremonies all came back on stage for the audience vote.
"You've seen all three performers, and now it's time to cast your vote! Remember that a green vote is for Madison, a pink vote is for Laura, and a yellow vote is for Serena! Raise your Glow Casters and vote… now!"
Ash reflexively reached for his Glow Caster, before realizing that he'd never received one, after running off back to the Ace Center. He crossed his fingers, watching nervously as the votes started coming in from the rest of the audience; the results were nowhere near as clear-cut as they were in Coumarine City, and it was quickly shaping up into a tight, two-person race between Laura and Serena.
When the lights finally faded, Ash breathed a sigh of relief at the results, as the crowd cheered. Serena had managed to just barely edge out Laura, by a margin that couldn't have been more than five votes, out of an audience of hundreds; the other performer, Madison, had taken a distant third after her fall. As the host formally announced Serena's victory, her eyes met Ash's, and he gave her a thumbs-up before collapsing onto his back, still breathing hard. He was just barely able to hear her delighted laughter over the sound of the applause.
Five minutes later, Ash had recovered somewhat, and was making his way through the back hallways of the Lagoon Theater, trying to remember where the doors to the stage were. After a minute of searching, he managed to find Serena outside the stage door, talking to the last of a small crowd of youngsters who had gathered for her, much smaller than the one in Coumarine City. As soon as he saw her stand up straight, he called out her name.
"Hey, Serena!" She quickly turned toward him, eyes lighting up.
"Ash!" she exclaimed happily, as they both started walking toward each other.
"You did an amazing job!" he continued as they slowly came within a few feet of each other. "That fire ribbon was really-"
As he was still talking, Serena reached out and grasped his hand, pulling him closer to her. He abruptly stopped talking as she leaned in and kissed his cheek appreciatively, her lips lingering for a second before she stepped away, his hand still clasped in hers.
"Thank you so much for doing that, Ash," she spoke gently, watching as his face flushed red. "You really came through for me."
"S… sure, of course…" he stammered back, clearly taken by surprise and unprepared for what had just happened. She grinned wide, amused, liking the idea that she had some sort of power over him. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.
"I just need to get changed and cleaned up quickly," she continued. "I'll meet you guys back in the lobby, alright?"
He nodded. "Yeah… see you there."
She let go of his hand and stepped back, grinning as she turned away, deciding not to tell Ash that she had left a lipstick mark on his cheek. She'd leave that for Iris and Brock to find.
Serena quickly made her way back to the dressing room, placing her hand on the doorknob, but she hesitated for a moment before opening the door. She could hear the distinct sound of someone crying on the other side, not openly bawling, but clearly too upset to restrain herself. She slowly and quietly opened the door, peeking in, seeing a familiar girl with long, curly brown hair. Madison had changed back into her normal clothes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she threw her things into her performance bag, utterly humiliated.
Serena's eyes widened, as she quickly debated whether to enter or to give this sobbing girl a moment alone. As she thought it over, she recalled her mother talking to her in their home, reminding Serena about her ability to make people smile, and how special it made her. She set her face and opened the door all the way, stepping inside.
"Madison?" she asked quietly, startling the young girl. "Are you alright?"
Madison quickly whirled around, eyes widening as she saw who was there. "Serena! I… I was just…" A wave of conflicting emotions ran through her, as she found herself face-to-face with one of her idols, but in one of the worst possible circumstances. She wasn't sure what to say in response; she wanted to make an excuse, but it was painfully obvious what she had been doing. She felt her face heating up, as embarrassment washed over her.
"I remember you," Serena continued, her voice gentle, as she closed the door behind her. "You came to see me after the Coumarine City Showcase, right? I didn't know you were a performer, too."
Madison looked down, wiping her eyes. "I'm not a performer. Not anymore."
"You're not? What do you mean?"
She turned back to her bag, putting her makeup kit inside, fresh tears falling. "This is the worst night of my life. I've never felt more embarrassed before. I don't ever want to do this again." She zipped up the bag as angrily as she could manage. "Everyone told me I couldn't do this, and they were right. I can't. I'm going back home."
Serena bit her lip, her heart immediately aching for this poor girl. As she looked down at Madison, she could see herself as a nervous and embarrassed new performer, upset and humiliated over her own loss.
"I know what you mean, Madison." She took a seat in a nearby chair. "My first performance went really badly, too. I didn't even make it to the second round."
Madison blinked, turning back toward Serena, not having known about this. "You didn't…? Really?"
Serena nodded. "The first round was Pokémon Styling, and I made my Fennekin's ribbons too long. She tripped on it and fell, and that was that." She rested her hands in her lap, sitting back. "I was so upset, I cried and cried… but after that, I picked myself up, and I tried again. I haven't really looked back since."
"Wow…" Madison seemed almost shaken by this information. "I didn't know you screwed up in your first performance, too. I don't think I've ever seen you screw up."
Serena grinned back. "That's because I've already screwed up a thousand times before, so you don't have to see it. It's never fun, but every time it happens, it stings a little less. And when everything goes well and everyone's smiling because of you, it's the best feeling in the world."
Madison leaned back against the counter, contemplating this, feeling a bit like her world had been turned upside-down. Serena let the silence hang in the air for a moment before continuing.
"Why did you decide to give performing a try, Madison?"
"Well…" The younger girl looked upward, thinking. "I always liked dancing, and playing with my Pokémon… I used to dance for my family when I was younger, putting on these pretend shows, and…" She turned a bit pink, embarrassed, as she realized what she was admitting to. "Well… it just felt really good to perform for them… they way they smiled and clapped…"
Serena smiled wide. "I know just how you feel." She leaned forward a bit. "You and I are a lot alike, I think."
Madison's eyes widened, taking this as an enormous compliment. "You… you think so?"
"Mhmm. We both enjoy performing for its own sake, and we like to make others happy. Those are great qualities for a performer to have… especially ones who are trying to become Kalos Queen one day."
"Kalos Queen?" Madison looked down, holding her face in her hands. "No way, I could never…"
"Don't sell yourself short," Serena offered. "You never know how things are going to go." She stood up. "If you really don't enjoy doing these showcases, then you don't have to keep doing them. You should find something you like. But I think you should give it at least one more try. You're far too talented to give up so soon."
Madison's eyes were wide as saucers as she looked back up. "You mean it…?"
"Of course I do!" Serena smiled warmly down at her. "You're much better than I was when I was your age."
Madison flushed a deep red once again, almost overwhelmed by the sheer power of such a compliment. After a few moments, she nodded resolutely. "Alright… I'll try one more time, I promise."
Serena grinned wide, glad that she was able to lift this girl's spirits. "Glad to hear it, Madison. Maybe we'll see each other again soon."
"I hope so!" Madison grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, making her way to the door, a bit of a spring in her step. As she grasped the doorknob, she paused and turned around. "Serena? Can I ask you one more thing?"
Serena nodded. "Of course. What is it?"
"Well… your performance tonight… how on Earth did you hold fire in your hand like that?!"
She laughed, not expecting that question. "It's a cold-burning flame, from a special residue on the ribbon. It's hot, but not hot enough to burn skin."
"Huh…" She looked as if her mind had been blown for a second time, thinking about the applications of this.
Serena smirked, able to tell what she was thinking. "Don't play with fire, Madison. Not unless you really know what you're doing."
The young girl grinned back, her mood greatly improved. "I won't, promise." She opened the door. "Thanks, Serena! Congratulations on your win!"
Serena nodded, smiling wide as the young girl stepped out, closing the door behind her. She felt her chest swell with pride, glad that she was able to help someone who needed it, before she quickly got to changing.
Several minutes later, Serena appeared in the lobby with her performance bag slung over her shoulder, looking around for her companions and quickly finding them. She could see Brock and Iris with teasing smirks on their faces, looking toward a rather red-faced Ash, who had a smudged and half-removed lipstick mark on his cheek. She giggled and covered her mouth as she approached, ready to leave with them and get some rest.