"I'm so sorry! I wrote this whole message about the music video coming out, and I never hit Send!"
Serena sighed, running her fingers through her hair with one hand, as the other held her phone to her ear. "It's fine… I'm glad that I came prepared, at least. Kind of prepared, anyway. Not mentally prepared."
"Sorry!" Shauna reiterated, on the other end of the call. "Aria told me that for you, it shouldn't be much more than a week, since you were backup. You've got it a lot better than I do. I could be dealing with this for months, if the song ends up becoming a hit."
"Well, nobody said this would be easy." Serena flopped backwards onto her bed, as she hid out in her room in the Ace Center. "This is what you wanted, right?"
"Well, maybe not exactly this, but yeah. This is what happens if you're a pop star. If either of us ends up becoming Kalos Queen, it's probably going to be even worse."
"Yeah," Serena replied, a bit distantly. She decided not to mention her worries about Madison stealing the title from both of them. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing fine," Shauna answered. "The past couple of days have been kind of smothering, but Aria's been coaching me through it. She's great."
Serena felt a twinge of jealousy at the idea of Shauna growing close to Aria, but she forced herself to push it aside. Aria could have more than one friend. "That's great. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Remember, you can always call me if you need to talk."
"Aww, you miss me!"
Serena giggled. "Of course I miss you, Shauna. But I'll see you at the Master Class, right?"
"You sure will!" Shauna declared confidently. "I've already got two of my Princess Keys. I'll be qualified in no time!"
"That's great! I know you'll get-"
"Oh, shoot!" Shauna interrupted. "Sorry, I totally forgot about a meeting. I've got to run! Take care, see ya!"
"Bye, Shauna!" Serena responded, though the call cut off halfway through her words. She sighed and dropped her phone onto the bed beside her, taking a moment to simply relax. She hadn't spent that long fielding questions and signing autographs in the lobby, but between that, dealing with Banette, running through the rainstorm, and having to deal with Banette even more, her mental reserves were somewhat exhausted. And she still had more to do today.
"Everything okay with Shauna?" Iris asked, from atop her bunk.
"Yeah, she's just busy," Serena answered. "As you can probably imagine. I guess that video dropped a few days ago and now a lot of Kalos has seen it already, so."
Iris nodded. "Yeah, that'll do it."
From his own bunk, Ash glanced over at Serena. "What are you going to do? Are you going to try going out, or will you hide out here?"
"I can't just hide whenever… my popularity spikes, I guess," she replied. "I'm going to try going out there and getting some practice in. I'll just have to be disguised." She sat up and pulled her bag closer to her, reaching in and rooting through it.
"Well, good luck." Ash brought his gaze down to his phone. "I'm going to find the Fleurrh Gym and get signed up for a battle as soon as I can."
"Don't forget, the ball is tomorrow night." Serena pulled out a plastic container, opening it to reveal her hair extensions and fake glasses. "So don't schedule over that."
"I didn't forget," Ash responded, as he found the gym address and saved it on his phone. He jumped to his feet, and Pikachu clambered onto his shoulder. "Iris, Brock, you guys have any plans?"
"Nothing here," Brock answered.
"Same," Iris chipped in. "Guess I'll just explore the city today. Brock, you in?"
"Sounds like a plan." He grinned. "Well, sounds like no plan, technically."
Iris smirked, getting to her feet. "No plan is the best plan."
"I'll text you guys when I'm registered for the gym," Ash chimed in, moving toward the door. "It shouldn't take long, unless something has gone wrong with the gym… again."
"Don't wait up for me." Serena pulled out a pocket mirror and set it on her bed. "I'll be cramming in as much practice as I… well, as much as my Pokémon can handle."
Brock nodded. "See you at dinner, then. Don't work too hard!"
"I won't," Serena answered distractedly, as she started carefully clipping in her hair extensions. Ash watched the process for a few curious moments before turning and heading for the door, with Brock and Iris following behind.
After forty minutes of walking, Ash finally found the address he was looking for, which was a ten-minute walk from the Ace Center. He blinked in surprise a few times at the gym building, or rather, the lack thereof. Every other gym he had found in Kalos had been in some large, intricately designed building, or built into the landscape of the region in some way. This gym, however, was… a door. A single door, with the symbol of the Kalos Pokémon League above it, was sandwiched in between an artisan bakery and an imported crafts shop.
"This is it…?" he wondered aloud. "This can't be the gym, right? There's no room!" He looked toward Pikachu, sitting on his shoulder, who gave him a confused shrug in return. He stepped up to the door and pushed it open slowly, curiously, trying to imagine himself battling the Gym Leader on a battlefield that was three feet wide. He peeked his head inside and was greeted with a dimly lit staircase, leading deep underground. Ash cautiously stepped inside and started walking down the stairs, part of him expecting to be jumped for setting foot on some gang's turf.
As he walked further down the stairs, the dim lighting grew darker, but somehow warmer at the same time. The beige hallways slowly faded to black, with glow-in-the-dark neon highlights, and soon he could see a city skyline painted onto the walls next to him. He began walking faster, more excitedly, as he grew more convinced that he had actually found the gym.
When he finally reached the bottom of the staircase, the hallway gave way to a large reception area, where the walls, floor and ceiling were all pitch black. The corners of the room were outlined with glowing, lime-green, neon-like paint, giving the room clear outline and shape despite the pitch black surfaces. More cityscape artwork lined one of the far walls, behind the reception desk, which was lit up by some light that Ash could not determine the source of. A door on the far wall led into a much larger room, with a white railing cordoning off a balcony, overlooking the battlefield below.
Ash had to admit he was impressed. The gym might not have had the visual and architectural spectacle of the other Kalos gyms, but it was visually striking nonetheless. The idea of walking through darkness given shape seemed appropriate for a Dark-type gym.
"Hello there!" Ash looked over to see the receptionist, a teenaged girl with a bright blue pixie cut, calling out to him. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah! Hi!" He walked quickly over to the desk, as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and onto the ground, wanting to investigate the pitch-black walls. "I need to schedule a gym battle with Athena."
"No problem!" The girl began typing away at her keyboard, studying the computer screen that Ash couldn't see. "Let's see… the first opening is tomorrow evening, at 5 p.m. Does that work for you?"
"Yes!" Ash answered excitedly, before stopping himself, remembering the ball. "Wait! No! No!" He shook his head, holding out his hands. "Sorry, we're busy then. What else?" In another part of the room, Pikachu was walking forward with his paws out, trying to determine exactly where the wall of the room began. He let out a startled noise as his paws found the wall, much closer than he expected.
The receptionist grinned, amused at Ash's sudden reversal. "Well then, the next opening is the following afternoon, at 1 p.m. How's that?"
He took a quick moment to mentally confirm that he was free, before nodding eagerly. "Perfect! We'll be there!"
The girl nodded and began typing again, asking to see his Pokédex, which he handed over without question. She looked back and forth between the Pokédex and her computer several times, before handing it back. "Okay, you're all set! We'll see you back here in a couple days!"
"Great, thank you!" Ash pocketed his Pokédex again and turned to leave, when the sound of a small explosion caused him to stop in his tracks. He turned his attention toward the battlefield, all thoughts of leaving forgotten.
"Is that Athena battling in there?" he asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Are people allowed to watch gym battles here?" He turned his body to face the doorway, while his head turned slightly toward the receptionist.
"Absolutely!" she answered. "Go right ahead."
"Thanks!" He started jogging over to the battlefield as soon as the words left her mouth, as Pikachu climbed back up onto his shoulder. His hands grasped the railing around the balcony as he looked down at the battlefield below, spotting Athena on the far end. This room was mostly pitch black as well, though the battlefield was outlined in a bright blue, similar to the lime-green outlines of the lobby. The light-absorbing black all around made Ash feel as though he had plunged into the abyss. He had no idea how the people and Pokémon inside the gym were lit up, as he couldn't see any light sources.
On the battlefield, an Umbreon was catching its breath close to Athena's side, looking rather roughed up. Its black body was somehow able to stand out against the pitch black of the battlefield, though Ash wasn't sure how. On the other side, looking much less worn out, was a purple-and-black, humanoid Pokémon that Ash had never seen before. It was covered in a crystal-like armor, with a long sword-like blade on each of its arms, and a blue flame coming out of the back of its head, looking like a medieval helmet.
"Whoa, what's that?" he spoke quietly to himself, as he retrieved his Pokédex once again. He aimed the device at the Pokémon, watching as text populated the glass screen.
"Ceruledge, the Fire Blades Pokémon," the machine reported. "A Fire- and Ghost-type. The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal. The longer it battles, the more enraged it becomes."
"Ceruledge…" Ash mouthed in wonder, amazed and somewhat intimidated by this Pokémon's appearance. He tilted his head down to see the other end of the battlefield, freezing as he saw Ceruledge's owner for the first time. He couldn't get a clear look at the boy's face, but his black hair and his general build were very familiar.
"Now, Ceruledge, use Psycho Cut!" Darius commanded. His Pokémon held both of its blade-arms behind its back, and they began growing with a pink energy. Ceruledge swung the blades forward, and the energy shot out toward Umbreon in a sharp-looking arc.
"Dodge and use Dark Pulse!" Athena ordered. Umbreon leaped to the side, barely escaping the Psycho Cut, before a stream of black orbs, surrounded by circles of dark energy, shot out at its opponent.
"Get closer and hit it with Bitter Blade!" Darius responded. Ceruledge grunted and dodged to the side, running forward toward the attacking Umbreon while deftly avoiding the incoming Dark Pulse. It raised its right arm, and a purple fire surrounded the blade, consuming it.
"Stop it with Quick Attack!" Umbreon dashed forward, hoping to intercept and interrupt the oncoming attack. It leaped into the air and rammed its head into Ceruledge's stomach with full force. Ceruledge grunted again, its eyes bulging out in pain, but it brought its blade down onto Umbreon, undeterred. The flaming blade seemed to carve through Umbreon's side, and the Pokémon cried out in deep pain as it was knocked away. The sword injury glowed with a dark flame for a moment, then the flame jumped away and wrapped itself around Ceruledge's body. Ceruledge glowed for a moment before standing up straighter, looking as if it had barely been damaged at all. Umbreon, on the other hand, made no attempt to get up.
"Umbreon is unable to battle!" a referee declared from the side of the battlefield. "Ceruledge wins the bout!"
Darius folded his arms. "Just like we expected," he spoke, his eyes meeting the Gym Leader's.
Athena frowned, grabbing a Poké Ball from her belt and returning Umbreon to it. "You're acting too cocky," she warned. "This battle isn't over yet." She tossed out another Poké Ball, summoning her Absol to the battlefield. The white-furred Pokémon eyed Ceruledge carefully, sizing it up, already assessing its chances against the Ghost-type. Ceruledge scraped its blades together loudly, in a threatening manner.
"It will be soon," he retorted. His eyes flicked over to the referee, waiting for him to signal that the battle was to restart.
Ash was captivated as the battle began again, as was the Pokémon on his shoulder. This was a prime opportunity to study not only the Fleurrh City Gym Leader, but the trainer that was shaping up to be his biggest rival, along with a powerful-looking Pokémon he had never seen before. He settled in, leaning against the railing, as Ceruledge and Absol faced off below him.
Serena pushed open the door to yet another building in Fleurrh City, crossing her fingers that this one would have a practice space available for her. She had been searching for nearly an hour at this point, and asked at three different battlefields throughout the city, but all of them had been in use. She was starting to consider heading all the way to the city outskirts, as long a walk as that would be, in order to get a bit of space and privacy.
She kept her head down as she walked up to the front desk, as she had learned to do over the past hour. Fleurrh City was slammed with trainers and other passersby right now, and she was constantly fretting over someone seeing through her disguise and discovering her true identity. She had already spent one whole day putting her disguise together back in Laverre City, and she wasn't keen on doing it again after being found out. She had seen herself in Shauna's music video no less than three times in the past hour. Clearly it had been put into some sort of rotation, alongside a new music video for the song "Oricorio", from a famous Galarian band, Durant Durant.
"Hello there! Can I help you?" asked the receptionist. Serena glanced up to meet the eyes of the tall, pink-haired woman.
"Hi!" Serena gave her a warm smile. "Do you have a spare battlefield open? I've been looking all over the city, and…"
"They've all been taken, right?" The woman smiled knowingly. "It's just that time of year, I'm afraid. The Lumiose Conference is approaching fast, and trainers are either practicing for the Conference or for their battles at the gym. Usually it's not so busy."
Serena nodded, her face falling. "So you don't have any openings?"
"Actually, you came at just the right time." The receptionist grinned as she saw Serena's eyes light up. "One of our battlefields opened up just one minute ago. If you give us a couple minutes to clean it up, it's all yours."
"Oh! Wonderful!" Serena smiled wide, relief flooding through her. "Of course I'll wait! Thank you so much!"
She walked over to a nearby corner and stood there, out of the way, as she glanced at her phone. Brock had taken a picture of Iris eating at some restaurant, clearly unhappy with whatever she had just put in her mouth, and sent it to the group chat. Serena snickered, covering her mouth with her closed fist. Kalosian food wasn't always for everyone. Ash had not posted any updates, which was a bit surprising. Perhaps he had gotten lost looking for the gym… again.
"Your battlefield is ready!" the receptionist called out after a couple minutes. "It's number one, in the far back left. Have fun!"
Serena thanked her politely, stepping through the door nearby and into the enormous room that lay beyond. All of the battlefields in this building were housed in the same, warehouse-like room, which was supported by three large beams that stretched up to the glass ceiling. Five of them were currently in use, with a Pokémon battle taking place on each one, and three of them had spectators watching them. It wasn't exactly private, but at this point, Serena would take what she could get.
She made her way to her reserved battlefield and grabbed the Poké Balls on her hip, releasing her entire team. Sylveon, Delphox, Pancham and Skiddo all appeared in a flash, looking around for a moment to get their bearings before turning their attention toward their trainer.
"Alright, guys! I found us a battlefield we can practice on," she began. "We aren't going to go all day, but hopefully we can get in a bunch of run-throughs and iron out the kinks."
Delphox was the only one who nodded affirmatively. Skiddo bleated curiously as he looked around, aware that he wouldn't be needed for practice and wondering what he could do to pass time. Pancham tried and failed to hold back a snicker as he looked over his trainer, while Sylveon gave her a curious look and raised both of her ribbons to her face, encircling her eyes like a pair of glasses.
Serena groaned. "Yes, I know. I look like this today. I'm just trying to not draw attention. There's a lot of people here." She ignored Pancham's chuckles and turned toward Skiddo. "You can relax if you want, or you can run laps around the room. Just stay away from the other battlefields and the other Pokémon, alright?"
Skiddo bleated happily and took off like a rocket, sprinting joyfully around the room. Serena's other Pokémon followed her to the center of the battlefield, taking their places and waiting for her signal. She pulled out her phone and turned up the volume as high as it could go, before playing the upbeat, poppy song to which her performance routine had been choreographed.
"Alright, let's go! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind, then Swift!"
Sylveon flexed her ribbons and created a ball of swirling pink wind in front of her, which quickly grew into a whirlwind that encompassed the battlefield. She followed up with Swift, creating and shooting an array of golden-white stars that joined the fairy-pink tornado.
"Great!" Serena praised. "Now, Pancham, Stone Edge!"
Pancham immediately performed a backflip, landing in position behind his trainer, between Sylveon and Delphox. He slammed his hands against the ground, which began to glow underneath all three of them, before three spires raised them all into the air. Once the Fairy Wind dissipated, Serena was standing in an idol pose, flashing a "V for victory" sign with one hand next to her eyes, as Pancham, Sylveon and Delphox stood on stone pillars behind her.
As the music kicked into a higher gear, Serena could see some of the spectators glancing her way curiously. She ignored them as she began to dance, turning to catch Pancham as he leaped off of his pillar, before turning and tossing him into the air again. He somersaulted expertly through a ring of fire, courtesy of Delphox, before landing in a handspring and starting to breakdance. Behind him, Serena and Sylveon were dancing joyously with each other, getting into the beat and the rhythm.
As the performance continued, Serena occasionally glanced out at the rest of the room, curious as to who was watching. Most of the spectators were now watching her instead of the other battles, and one pair of battlers had stopped practicing entirely to watch her performance. She couldn't help but grin, feeling more energized as she put her heart into her dancing.
After spinning around with Sylveon, she tossed the Pokémon into the air, where she crossed paths with the acrobatic Pancham. The two gave each other a mid-air high-five before continuing their performance. Serena giggled and returned her focus to the spectators, with two of them in particular catching her eye. One teenaged girl, a couple of years older than her, was pointing at her and speaking to a male companion of hers. The girl formed circles with her hands and brought them to her eyes, imitating glasses, before pointing back toward the performer.
Serena faltered, her grin falling away in an instant. Had she been found out?
She was so distracted that she nearly missed a cue from Delphox, and she hastily reached her arm out to catch the Pokémon's flaming stick. She spun it in her hand, glancing back at the steadily growing crowd. More of them were starting to whisper to each other and point at her. Serena tried to read their lips when she could, but she had to spend too much time focusing on her rehearsal. All she could do was imagine what they were saying, which was likely about how much she looked like the dancing girl on TV.
Serena tried her best to shake it off and continue performing, wanting to focus on her form and her Pokémon instead. Every time she looked back, however, she could see more people watching, talking, whispering, pointing. If any of them took a picture right now, it was over. Her disguise would be broadcast all over Fleurrh City, making it utterly worthless. She could kiss all of her privacy, and her rehearsal time, goodbye. Would she still be able to make it through the Master Class like that?
As she and her partners struck their final pose, and the music came to a stop, the room began applauding loudly, and she could hear individual trainers praising her for her fantastic performance. She gave them a half-hearted smile before quickly returning all of her Pokémon to their Poké Balls, stepping forward and picking up her phone off the ground. She immediately turned to leave, making her way to the front door.
"Excuse me!" an older girl called out to her. "Have I seen-"
"Sorry, I have to go," Serena answered, not even bothering to listen to the remainder of the question. She picked up the pace of her walking as she zipped by the impressed but confused crowd, watching the front door grow closer and closer. She pushed it open aggressively with her arm, stepping into the lobby and rushing to the door that would leave her outside. She gave an absentminded thanks to the receptionist before leaving, stepping out onto the streets of Fleurrh City and sighing deeply.
"Great…" she grumbled. "What am I going to do now?" She stood still for a minute, cursing herself internally, before turning and walking down the street, once again in search of practice space.
Back at the gym, Ash was watching the battle between Athena and Darius in amazement. Athena's Absol had been transformed into a Mega Absol, while Darius's Ceruledge was still in its previous form. Both Pokémon looked the worse for wear, covered in scrapes and bruises and breathing hard, but both of them were determined to fight until they dropped. Ceruledge appeared furious, enraged, his body heat starting to warp the air around him.
Ash could hear whispers all around him about Ceruledge's performance. The Pokémon had been able to easily keep pace with Mega Absol, even though he had fought against Athena's Umbreon, and on top of that he was at a type disadvantage in the Dark-type gym. Darius's Ceruledge was skilled, relentless, and ruthless - a strong fit for his trainer, Ash thought.
"Charge in and use Shadow Ball!" Athena called out. "Then Night Slash!" Her Absol immediately took off running, shaking off his exhaustion as he opened his mouth and began charging a ball of black energy.
"Dodge, then use Bitter Blade!" Darius countered. Ceruledge leaped to the side as the Shadow Ball sailed past him, and his blades were soon covered with purple flames, as he prepared to use Bitter Blade.
Ceruledge raised his blades as Mega Absol approached, just as the Dark-type Pokémon raised its horn, which was glowing white with the power of Night Slash. Before the two attacks collided, however, Absol screeched to a stop a few feet in front of his opponent. Darius blinked, surprised, just as several portals opened up in the air around Ceruledge.
"Future Sight…" Ash muttered under his breath, as several energy balls emerged from the portals to attack Ceruledge. Absol had called for that attack roughly a minute ago, and Athena had planned a strategy around the moment where it would re-emerge. It was an impressive plan, and Ash filed it away for later, when he had to prepare for his own battle against her.
"That's Future Sight!" Darius exclaimed. "Spin and destroy the attack!" His Pokémon obeyed without hesitation, spinning on his heel and slicing through the air with his blades, destroying the attack. As he did so, he cried out in pain as Mega Absol's horn slashed painfully along his back, digging deep into his purple armor.
Darius seemed unfazed by the strike, immediately following up with another command. "Use Bitter Blade!"
Ceruledge growled and pivoted once again, not even bothering to step away from the Night Slash slicing through his armor. Gritting his teeth and bearing the pain, he slashed his flaming blades across Mega Absol's flank, sending his opponent flying backwards. The slash continued to burn faintly on Absol's body, the flames leaping back to their owner, and Ceruledge glowed faintly for a brief moment.
Ash furrowed his brow contemplatively, studying the battle closely and noting how weakly Ceruledge's body was glowing. Bitter Blade was an attack that restored some of Ceruledge's health and stamina when it was used, but it seemed to be growing progressively weaker with each use, with less stamina recovery each time. Even Ceruledge, as tireless as he was, was not entirely indefatigable.
"Let's finish this! Go in with Flare Blitz!" Darius commanded. Ceruledge stood up straight as his body was cloaked in bright orange flames from head to toe, and he dashed forward, almost as if he was gliding along the battlefield.
"Dark Pulse and dodge!" Athena shot back. Her Absol opened his mouth and fired off a beam made of black and purple rings, directly at the advancing Ceruledge, before leaping to the side.
"Don't let that stop you!" Darius shouted, sounding less like a command and more like a warning. Ceruledge maintained his course, charging directly into the Dark Pulse, which exploded against his body. He grunted and painfully forced his way through the super-effective attack, continuing on with his Flare Blitz as Absol leaped away. He jabbed his left arm into the ground for a moment, causing him to turn sharply to the left, on a collision course with Absol once again. Athena's Pokémon didn't have time to dodge again before Ceruledge collided powerfully with him, sending him flying across the arena. Ash winced as Absol landed in a heap, burned, sore and exhausted. The Pokémon struggled to get to his feet, as Ceruledge watched from afar, taking deep, labored breaths.
"What are you waiting for?" Darius demanded. "Use Psycho Cut!"
Ash could hear murmurs, and a couple gasps, as Ceruledge relentlessly pursued his nearly-defeated opponent. He swung his blades forward, sending two sharp blades of energy at the mostly-helpless Absol. Athena's Pokémon tried to defend himself by blocking with his wings, but it was to no avail. The Psycho Cut sliced into him, eliciting another cry of pain before Absol slumped to the ground.
Ceruledge continued his charge, not even stopping as Absol's body began to glow, the Mega Evolution wearing off. Once the glow faded, a standard-form, defeated Absol lay motionless on the ground. Ash could feel his heart sinking as the referee raised his flag.
"Absol is unable to battle! Ceruledge wins the bout, and Darius wins the match!"
Athena sighed in disappointment as she returned her Absol to its Poké Ball, whispering words to it that Ash couldn't understand. Darius returned his Ceruledge without a word before stepping forward. Ash watched the two meet in the middle of the battlefield, sharing words that he couldn't hear, as the crowd began to disperse around him.
"That was brutal," he overheard an older man saying. "Getting a 4-2 victory over Athena? That kid's no joke."
"That Ceruledge of his is a monster," another woman chimed in. "It doesn't seem to care if anyone gets hurt, including itself. I'd hate to battle against a Pokémon like that."
Ash couldn't help but agree, as he watched an irritated Athena hand over a rectangular badge to the victorious Darius. Jolteon had been plenty strong against Brock, and now Ceruledge… who was supposed to stop Darius in battle? Could he? Could anyone?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of Pikachu climbing back onto his shoulder. His partner Pokémon frowned at him, evidently thinking the same things about Darius and Ceruledge.
Ash forced a smile onto his face. "Let's not think about him right now. Let's focus on our battle with Athena first. We've got a badge to win."
Pikachu nodded and voiced his affirmation, as Ash turned and headed for the exit. He started climbing the stairs leading outside, thinking about the Pokémon Athena had used in her battle, and trying not to be distracted by thoughts of anyone else.
A dejected Serena trudged through a park in downtown Fleurrh City, which was filled with people like everywhere else. She walked past citygoers eating ice cream, trainers boasting or comparing battle strategies, and young children running around and playing games. By some miracle, she managed to find an unoccupied bench, and she slumped onto it, letting out a deep sigh. She could hear the sound of Shauna's single playing on one of the large screens dotting the downtown. She would never admit it to Shauna, but right now she was really starting to hate that song.
Two more hours of searching for a practice space had yielded zero results. There had been another open battlefield, but like the previous one, it was surrounded by others with plenty of trainers battling, and she was no longer comfortable with that. What she needed was privacy, and it didn't look like she was going to be getting that in the city.
She leaned back against the bench, letting her head fall backwards and tug on her hair extensions, which she was partly sitting on. Today was a complete wash. Her best bet would be to leave the city another day and go to Route 19 to practice, where her only company would be the wild Pokémon and the rare passerby. When would she even have the opportunity, though? Tomorrow was the ball, and she would need to prepare for that. Ash's gym battle would happen soon as well, and she was determined to be there to support him. Once that was done, they would have to start traveling to Gloire City again, as the Master Class was only a couple of weeks away. Clearly, the universe was conspiring against her. If her shot at Kalos Queen was thwarted because she missed two to three days of practice, she would certainly never forget it.
She let out a frustrated groan, but paused as she heard a similar frustrated groan off to her left. Turning her head to the side, she spotted a young girl of roughly eleven years old, with her long red hair tied back into a ponytail. She looked upward, studying the large screen on the side of a tall building nearby, which was playing the music video that was currently thwarting Serena's practice plans. The girl let out a short breath before she started to dance, trying to imitate the moves she saw on screen, a look of intense concentration on her face. She had the routine down pat for about ten seconds, to Serena's pleasant surprise, but her feet soon got tangled up and she nearly fell backwards onto the grass. She let out another groan of frustration, louder this time.
"Are you trying to do their dance?" Serena spoke up before she realized it. The girl squeaked in surprise, her cheeks flushing as she turned to the person speaking to her.
"Y-yeah…" she admitted, looking down. "I, uh… my friends were talking about it, and…"
Serena smiled gently, standing up. "You're pretty good! Have you been practicing?"
"A little bit," the girl answered. "It's been playing a lot, so it's easy to watch and dance along. But there's one part that just… I don't know what they're doing!"
"Yeah, I saw… it's the 'today is the memory of yesterday' part, right?" Serena inquired, echoing the lyric that Shauna sang during the difficult movement. The girl nodded, frowning, and Serena stepped forward. "Yeah, that part is tricky. It's because the camera isn't really showing anyone's feet, so you can't see what they do."
"Yes! Exactly!" the girl exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm sure they're doing something weird that makes it work, but I don't know what!"
Serena giggled. "They're swapping their feet. The left leg sweeps backwards, and the right foot comes in to hold their weight."
The girl blinked, not having expected an answer. "They are? How do you know?"
"Well, watch." Serena got into position, starting the maneuver in question and performing it slowly. "Right here…" She brought her right leg under her to support her weight, as her left leg smoothly swept backwards, in a move she had practiced dozens of times while recording the video. "Then you're in position to go to the next move." She continued on, transitioning to the next part of the dance. "You see?"
The girl watched Serena's feet intently, eyes wide, before turning around and racing over to her bag, which was resting against a nearby tree. "Let me try!" She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, frantically pulling up Shauna's music video, which was no longer playing on the public screens. She cranked the volume all the way up and placed the phone on her bag, before taking a step back and waiting for the dance to start. Serena held back a smirk, thinking of herself doing the exact same thing a couple of hours ago.
She watched as the energetic young girl started dancing along with the music video, excited to get past the roadblock that she had been experiencing. Serena hummed to herself, impressed. The girl's moves weren't very precise, but they were very enthusiastic, and her memory of the routine was nothing to sneeze at.
As the move in question came up, Serena stepped up next to the girl and began following along, her rehearsed movements much more precise and accurate than her companion's. "Now, right here… swap!"
Both girls shifted their weight from their left foot to their right, swinging their left leg back, before pirouetting and kicking that same leg out in front of them. Serena grinned wide as her dance partner completed the move effortlessly, letting out a squeal of delight. "I did it!"
"You sure did!" Serena answered, continuing to dance along with the music video. "Great job!"
The girl didn't answer, following along with the music video alongside Serena, her heart pounding with excitement. The two girls danced quietly but energetically, caught up in the music and the movement. Serena had to admit that it was fun to revisit the routine, reliving the memories of dancing alongside Shauna and Aria, as they all planned the young performer's rise to fame.
Two minutes later, the song finally came to an end, and both girls struck their final pose. They held it for a few seconds before they lost their composure, giggling and laughing as they fell out of the pose. Serena found it difficult to catch her breath while laughing, but it was a small price to pay to let loose for a few minutes on such a frustrating day.
"Oh, that was fun!" she exclaimed. "I can't remember the last time I just danced for the fun of it."
"It was fun!" the girl answered. "I finally got it down! Now I can show the other girls at school! They're going to be so jealous!"
Serena laughed. "Maybe you can teach them the move, too, and you can all dance together." She reached up and removed her glasses with her left hand, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead with her right. It had only been a couple minutes, but the dance for Shauna's video was more physically demanding than the dancing she usually did for her performances, where the feature was much more on her Pokémon.
She glanced back down at her companion and promptly froze. The girl was staring at her with wide eyes, shock and recognition all over her face. Serena stayed frozen in place for a moment, as she suddenly realized her mistake, her fake glasses still hanging from her fingers. The two stared at each other for a few seconds that felt like an eternity.
It wasn't difficult for Serena to recognize and appreciate the irony. Years ago, during her first journey, she had received critical assistance from a similarly-disguised Aria, who had given herself the name Ariana when she was out and about. The advice Serena got from the seasoned performer had helped guide her to her first victory, and then several more besides. Now here she was, in a similar position herself, giving her own guidance to a fan of hers - though clearly, she hadn't been as careful about it.
Serena's shock soon subsided, and her surprised expression gave way to a grin. She slid her glasses back on, while placing a finger from her other hand to her lips. "Don't tell anyone, alright? It'll be our secret."
The young girl's face was glowing pink, as she nodded vigorously. "I won't, I promise!"
"Good." Serena took a couple of steps back. "I need to get going, but it was fun dancing with you. Take care!" She waved as she turned to walk away, and the girl waved back vigorously, her smile nearly splitting her face in two. Serena finally looked away and started her walk back to the Ace Center, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, as her chest filled with pride.
Her walk back was stopped as she felt a gentle tug on her wrist. She turned and saw the girl standing there, still blushing. "Hey… um… can you sign my phone case?!"
Serena grinned and nodded, reaching into her purse for the marker that she now carried with her at all times. One more autograph today wouldn't kill her.
Later that evening, Serena was lying on her bed in her room, with her Sylveon sleeping across her stomach and her traveling companions all around her. She was humming a tune to herself as she scrolled through her phone, searching social media for any mentions of herself being spotted in Fleurrh City. There were a couple of posts from people who suspected she had been practicing on a city battlefield, but thankfully there seemed to be no pictures. Her secret identity was safe for another day.
"Well, someone's in a good mood," Iris commented from the top bunk.
"Mhmm," Serena answered. "It was a good day."
"Yeah? You get a lot of practice in?"
She shook her head. "No, not really. Still a good day, though. I met a fan and she was really sweet."
"That's great!" Brock spoke up from a corner of the room, as he took inventory of the group's food supplies. "That must have been pretty validating, huh?"
"Mhmm. It's always nice meeting fans." Her eyes flicked up. "How was your day?"
"It was fine," he answered. "Iris and I just wandered around town. Had some good food, saw a cool museum."
"Sounds cool," Ash chimed in absentmindedly, only somewhat paying attention to the conversation. He and Pikachu were buried in his Pokédex, as they had been for much of the evening, studying the Pokémon that they had seen Athena battling with earlier in the day. Ash's upcoming gym battle was likely to be the only thing he would focus on for the next day and a half. Serena suspected she might have to drag him to the ball tomorrow night.
The ball… she could feel her heart start to race as she thought about it. On her first journey, she had never gotten the opportunity to dance with Ash - though based on what she knew now, that may have been a blessing in disguise. Nevertheless, now that she knew they both had feelings for each other, there was nothing that was going to stop her from finally getting that long-awaited dance. Her sore feet would be a small price to pay.
She sighed happily as she set her phone down, closing her eyes for a moment. Today had been a much-needed morale boost for her. She hadn't gotten the practice in that she needed, but being out and about, interacting with a fan, brightening the girl's day and putting a smile on her face… this was why she wanted to become Kalos Queen in the first place. Her spirits had been bolstered, her morale refilled, and-
Refill!
She groaned as she pushed herself back up into a sitting position, and her Pokémon hopped off of her, voicing a mild complaint as her pillow started to leave. She swung her feet off of her bed as she turned to her side, reaching for her bag. "Darn it…"
"What is it?" Ash instantly looked over at her, his attention finally drawn away from his Pokédex.
"I forgot about an important errand I have to run," she explained, pulling her fake glasses out of her bag. "I need to grab something at the Poké Mart." She slid the glasses onto her face, pushing them up onto her nose as she stood, looking around the room for her shoes.
Iris half-leaned off of her bunk, glancing down at Serena. "Are you going to get all dressed up in your disguise just for that?"
"No way," Serena answered. "The extensions would take forever to put in, and I don't want to put them in again. I've had them in all day and my hair hurts. The glasses will be enough for this."
Iris snorted, smirking. "Your hair hurts? How does that work?"
Serena rolled her eyes. "Fine, my scalp hurts, smart aleck." She located her shoes and slipped them on. "It might be a little bit. Don't wait up for me."
She walked across the room to the door, pushing her purse strap up her shoulder. She glanced back at the room as she grasped the doorknob, pausing as her eyes settled on Ash. He was focused rather intently on her, specifically on her face.
"What is it?" she asked, cocking her head. "Is there something on my face?"
"Just your glasses…" he mumbled, a bit of an awestruck expression on his face, and a hint of color in his cheeks.
She grinned wide at him, letting go of the doorknob. "Yeah, they are." She walked over to his bunk, leaning in closer, her voice soft and faint. "How do they look?"
He grinned sheepishly, keeping his voice low as well. "They look nice…"
"Yeah? You like them?"
He nodded, blushing a bit more. "Yeah, kinda…"
She giggled. "Hm… good to know." She kept her eyes on him as she stood up straight again, walking over to the door and stepping out. She hummed to herself once again, her cheeks as pink as his were, as she made her way to the Poké Mart.