Near the center of downtown Cyllage City, the sound of a ringing bell could be clearly heard over the minimal hustle and bustle, attached to the door of a delicatessen as it opened. Madison stepped through it onto the sidewalk, holding a pack of a dozen water bottles in one hand, using the other hand to keep the door open. Serena thanked her as she stepped outside as well, holding a large box in both hands, with two bags of different sizes on top.
"What a morning," Serena muttered glumly, as the two started walking along the sidewalk toward the outskirts of town. "We must have knocked on three dozen doors."
"I lost count around 26," Madison replied. "All that and not even one person wanted to help us. I can't believe it."
"Well, it's not the most exciting sales pitch," Serena admitted, glancing down at her companion. "What would you say if someone knocked on your door and asked you to come lift rocks for a week?"
"If they were going to help my town get back on its feet, I'd at least try!" the younger girl exclaimed. "Everyone here thinks it's so great that we're rebuilding the gym, but nobody wants to actually lift a finger to help us!"
Serena sighed. "I wish I was more surprised… at least we got some donations out of it. So the morning wasn't a total loss."
"I wonder if they would have given us money if they knew we were going to spend it on food."
"Don't say it like that!" Serena insisted, adopting a scholarly tone. "We're not just buying food. We're supporting the renovation of the gym by providing sustenance to the workers. This is a perfectly legitimate use of funds."
Madison smirked. "What about the éclairs?"
Serena grinned back down at her. "Éclairs are sustenance, too."
The two continued chatting as they made their way back to the remains of the Cyllage City Gym, glad that they could help the cause in some way. Early on in the renovation process, after watching Madison try to lift a fairly large rock, Serena insisted she lay off the heavy lifting, as any injuries could immediately knock her out of the showcase season. Brock had quickly pointed out that the same logic could be applied to Serena herself, and before she knew what was happening, Ash, Iris and Shannon had all agreed that she shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting, either. After grumbling about this for a few minutes, the two performers decided to try and find more pairs of hands to help out; by the middle of the third day, they'd still had no luck.
Serena and Madison soon found themselves back at the tunnel leading to the gym, stepping out of the way as Brock's Geodude floated past, carrying a large piece of rock from the old climbing wall. They walked inside, appraising the pile of rubble still in the center of the gym; while it had shrunk considerably over the past few days, it was still imposingly large.
"Lunchtime, everyone!" Serena announced cheerfully.
"Awesome!" Ash's voice came from the other side of the mountain of debris, sounding tired. "Can you bring it over here?"
"Sure." The two walked around to the other side of the cavern, watching as Ash, Iris, Brock and Shannon came into view. They were all sitting or lying back on the rubble, sweating, their hands preemptively wrapped in bandages to keep them from getting injured. Several of their Pokémon were also out of their Poké Balls and assisting in the effort, most notably Brock's Steelix, who towered over the rest of them. They all turned to look at Serena and Madison as they approached, eyes sparkling as they saw the food she was carrying, as if she were bearing manna from heaven.
As Serena poured out Pokémon food into bowls of varying sizes, Madison carefully walked up toward the workers, offering them each a water bottle, which they greedily took and started gulping down before giving their thanks. Serena followed after, opening the box she had brought to reveal numerous decadent sandwiches, handing one to each of her hungry friends.
"Thanks a lot, Serena," Ash quickly got out before taking a large and hungry bite out of his lunch. Serena grinned and let him eat for a moment before speaking again.
"How is the work going? Are you guys still behind schedule?"
"Oh yeah, we're way behind schedule," he answered, swallowing. "We thought we would have all this stuff out of here by yesterday morning. I didn't think we'd have to move it all one piece at a time."
She frowned and nodded, understanding. On the first day of renovation, they had tried to use Steelix to move all of the debris at once, but this had made the ceiling of the cavern rumble loudly and ominously, causing all of them to scurry outside in a panic. They eventually went back inside to continue working when they felt it was safe, but decided not to do anything that might accidentally cause a cave-in, moving the rubble one piece at a time instead. The group was forced to add "reinforcing the ceiling" to their list of tasks.
"Well, we have some leeway in terms of time, at least," Serena replied. "We can afford to spend another few days if we need it."
"We'll definitely need it," Ash responded, taking another bite out of his sandwich.
"Even that might not be enough," Iris chimed in. "We might have to scale back on some of our plans, like the electrical work."
"That sounds important…" Serena thought for a moment. "Maybe we can cut something else, like… I don't know, plumbing?"
"We already cut the plumbing," Shannon spoke up, watching as her Hydreigon flew down to claim some of the Pokémon food, landing between Pikachu and Snivy.
"That was the first thing to go," Brock added. "None of us knew how we were going to do that in the first place. We're not plumbers."
"Yeah…" Ash looked down, his mood deflating as he pictured the lackluster gym that was likely to emerge from their efforts. "I don't know how we're going to fix the ceiling, either. We're not going to have a Kalos-worthy gym at this rate, that's for sure."
Serena bit her lip, hating to see Ash dejected like this, but not knowing what to say to make him feel better. She had always deeply admired his selflessness and sense of duty toward others, and it was a big part of what had attracted her to him in the first place. Now, however, she feared that he may have gotten himself in over his head. She didn't dare say it out loud, but the thought of him having to stay behind while she went ahead to Lumiose City still lingered in the back of her mind.
"Hey!" Her thoughts were interrupted as a male voice shouted out from near the entrance to the cavern, causing everyone to jump. "Is anyone in here?"
"The gym is closed," Ash called out reflexively, not really wanting to expend the energy to sit up.
"I know that!" the voice called back. "Are you the kids fixing up this place?"
Ash's eyebrows raised, and he set his sandwich down and crawled to the top of the debris mountain, taking a look at who was doing the yelling; Iris and Brock joined him, while Serena walked around to the side. Standing at the entrance to the gym was a tall, barrel-chested man with muscular arms, a chiseled jaw, and blonde hair tied into a short ponytail. He wore a white shirt with a denim vest, jeans, and a blue field cap, and his neck was adorned with a shark tooth necklace, with an overlarge, rainbow-colored tooth in the center. The man's appearance tugged at the back of Serena's memory, but the others didn't recognize him at all.
"Yeah, that's us…" Ash stood up, climbing over the pile of rubble. "Why? Who are you?"
"The name's Byron," the man answered, as the group of six started to converge in front of him. "I'm the head honcho of Team Ace."
Serena's eyes shot open in shock, recognition suddenly flashing through her mind. "You're the Byron?!"
"Is there another Byron?" The man chuckled for a second before becoming serious again. "Don't answer that. I know there are other Byrons."
"Um… why are you here, sir?" Ash asked, carefully studying the man in front of him. This person didn't remotely line up with the picture of Byron that he had formed in his mind. He had imagined some stuffy old man wearing a top hat and a monocle, eating caviar for every meal and occasionally leaving his mansion to cut a giant ribbon somewhere.
"I heard some kids were trying to fix up the Cyllage City Gym," Byron answered, studying the group that had formed in front of him. "That's you, huh?"
"Are we in trouble…?" Madison asked, a bit fearful, feeling herself shrink in this man's large and intimidating presence.
Byron laughed. "Trouble? Are you kidding? No way. In fact, I want in."
"Want in?" Iris's eyes widened, optimism springing forth. "You mean you want to help us?"
"That's right," he confirmed. "I don't know what you kids were planning, but imagine what you could do with a blank check and an army of contractors. Give us a week and we'll build the best gym Kalos has ever seen. It'll put the old one to shame."
Ash and Serena's eyes lit up simultaneously at the thought, relief already sweeping through both of them at the mere suggestion of help. Brock was similarly uplifted, but found himself speaking up. "That sounds amazing, but why are you offering? Why do you want the gym rebuilt?"
"I've been trying to build an Ace Center here for years," Byron began to explain. "But the finance guys said it wouldn't be worth it because nobody comes through Cyllage City anymore. Then two days ago I hear about you guys, and the answer's obvious: rebuild the gym and the trainers all come back. I swear, you kids have more sense than my entire advisory board put together."
"Makes sense…" Ash muttered, as Serena stepped forward excitedly, still starstruck.
"That sounds incredible, sir! We'd love to take any help you're willing to give!"
"Alright, then we're in business." Byron extended his hand, which Serena eagerly shook. "First things first: I'm not 'sir'. I hate formalities like that. Just call me Byron."
Serena nodded, willing to call him anything he wanted if he was offering help. "Yes, of course."
"You look familiar, kid." He raised an eyebrow, studying her smiling face. "Have you ever been on TV?"
"Ah… technically, yes…" She flushed red, amazed that someone of his status knew about her somehow. "I'm a performer, and they put me in the ads for the Coumarine City Showcase…"
"Right, that's what it was." He let go of her hand as his recollection came back to him. "I saw a video of you after the show. You lit that place up. Nice work." She blushed deeper, looking downward.
"How do we let the trainers of Kalos know that the gym is fixed?" Shannon wondered aloud. "Do we put something in the paper, or…"
"Newspaper's not nearly loud enough. You're thinking way too small," Byron answered, a hint of condescension in his voice. "This is going to be a rebirth for the whole city. We need to go big with this. We need performances, a carnival, TV, radio… I can probably scrounge up a celebrity to do some ads. Maybe some talk show host or something."
Everyone nodded along as he described his plans, their excitement growing as they imagined a city-wide celebration. The moment was interrupted by Madison. "Oh! I know the perfect celebrity we could ask!"
"Really?" Serena glanced back toward her. "Who is it?"
"Who do you think?" Madison grinned back mischievously, leaving Serena curious. It took her a moment to realize that everyone's eyes were looking in her direction, the answer finally dawning on her.
"Whuh… me?!" she exclaimed, turning her deepest shade of red yet.
"Hey, now there's an idea." Byron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Kalos loves their performers. That'd be a great celebrity endorsement."
"No, don't call me that!" Serena reached up and tugged her hat down further onto her head, trying to disappear under it, feeling her face burning up.
He laughed, amused by her embarrassment. "TV's the easiest thing in the world. Just gotta say a few lines and they let you try it over and over. I do it all the time. Besides, if you're gunning for Kalos Queen, you'll have to get used to this sooner or later." She groaned a bit, not too comfortable with the accelerated rate at which her fame in Kalos was growing.
Ash reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do it if you don't want, Serena. I'm sure Byron wouldn't have any trouble finding someone."
"Nngh… no, I'll do it," she responded, sounding defeated. "But if I make myself look like an idiot in front of all of Kalos, I'm blaming Madison."
"You're going to do great!" Madison insisted, unfazed by Serena's threat. "I can't wait to see it!"
"Alright, that's settled. I've got some calls to make." Byron reached into his vest pocket, pulling out an expensive-looking phone and handing it to Serena. "Speaking of which, put your number in here. I'll call you today or tomorrow with the details. Meanwhile, I need to scrounge up a Gym Leader for this place."
"We're taking care of that," Iris replied, as Serena entered her number into the phone. "We've already been making calls. They're trying to find someone for us now."
"Good, that's one less thing I have to do." He took his phone back as it was handed to him. "Alright, I'm gonna go make some miracles happen. Make sure the place doesn't collapse before the contractors arrive."
"We'll do our best," Brock responded, as Byron turned to leave as abruptly as he had arrived, without even a proper farewell. They all watched him as he walked out, blocking some of the light from the outside with his size, before hopping into a fancy black car parked outside and peeling off.
"Did that really just happen?" Iris wondered aloud, starting to come back to reality as his presence wore off. "Did a famous billionaire just walk in here and save our renovation project, or did I hallucinate all that from exhaustion?"
"If you did, I hallucinated the same thing." Ash let a grin spread wide across his face, unable to believe their good fortune. "Looks like I'm getting my Cliff Badge after all."
Serena grinned as well, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "Looks like it to me, too." The group turned and walked toward the back of the cavern, relieved and excited, to finish off the lunch they had started.
Two days later, the six of them were seated in the empty Gym Leader's office, crowded around a computer screen. The sound of construction was all around them, even with the door closed tightly, so they had the volume cranked up as high as it would go. As Brock reached out and hit the play button on the computer, they could all see Serena's smiling face appear, dressed up in her performance outfit and makeup.
"Hi, everyone!" she exclaimed, looking into the camera and waving energetically. "It's me, Serena! And I'm in Cyllage City right now, preparing for one of the biggest celebrations Kalos has ever seen!"
Nearly everyone in the room grinned wide as the on-screen performer gestured toward a digital mockup of the new Cyllage City Gym, describing all of the improvements being made, as well as the planned carnival and other celebrations that the city was scheduling. Serena was covering her face with her hands, watching the screen through her fingers, painfully aware of every small mistake she had made during yesterday's filming.
"…the fun begins this Saturday, in downtown Cyllage City! I can't wait to see all of you there!" Everyone but Serena broke into a light applause as the video ended, congratulating her even as she continued to hide her face.
"That was great, Serena!" Madison jumped out of her chair and walked over. "You're going to bring so many people here!"
"You're a natural at this," Shannon added, smiling. "You look really comfortable in front of a camera."
"I can't believe that's the take they went with…" Serena muttered, slowly lowering her hands and sitting up. As critical as she was of herself, the praise and encouragement from Ash and her friends was helping to lift her spirits pretty quickly.
"It seemed like a good take to me," Ash offered, as the group all stood up together. "You always perform well, no matter what you're doing, if you ask me."
"Thanks, Ash." Serena sighed as they started walking back into the main hall of the gym. "They're going up all over Kalos today. I guess we'll find out how well I did when people start arriving."
Everyone paused briefly at the entrance to the cavern, watching as dozens of workers crafted the new gym. The pile of debris had been completely removed, and in its place was a deep hole that was being lined with machinery for some unknown purpose. Others were building stands for fans to sit in, while still others were being hoisted up to the ceiling by platform cranes, installing steel beams with the help of their Pokémon.
"This is so cool…" Ash looked around in wonder at the work that had already been done. "This is where I'm going to be battling in just a few days."
"You better make sure you're prepared, Ash," Serena advised, smiling. "There are going to be a lot of people here watching. You don't want to disappoint them."
"Trust me, I'm going to do a lot of training between now and then," he reassured her. "It would help if I knew who I was battling, though…"
"We're still working on it," Iris mentioned from behind him. "But ever since we mentioned Byron's name to the Kalos League, a lot more people have become interested in taking on the gym."
"Don't worry, Ash," Brock continued. "You'll have someone to battle this Saturday, I assure you."
Ash grinned and nodded, turning back toward the gym in progress, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. For the first time in a while, it felt as if things were really going his way. He just hoped his good fortune extended to the battle for his Cliff Badge.