A Journey's Link

Chapter 49 - Achievement

"What was the point of Hidden Power, though?" Goh asked. "If the etchings were from Pancham, then where did the Hidden Power go?" Chloe looked closely at the stone and gasped, pointing at it. "Look closer," she said to Goh, pointing at the etchings. "You see how it's glowing blue?" she pointed out.

"Oh, yeah!" He exclaimed. "It's sparkling all over the etchings!" Where Pancham had created beautiful swirls and lines was a radiant blue that projected its shine all around the auditorium, filling the vision of every viewer with a spectacular.

The lights dimmed as Serena and the other two Pokemon disappeared into the darkness. On the stage, Serena suddenly became incredibly worried as the darkness enveloped her, leaving her in complete silence as the audience failed to applaud her.

Was I really that bad? Serena thought to herself. The darkness seemed to be getting closer as the silence grew on longer, reminding her of Ash. The combination of the murkiness and silence from the audience made her worry immensely.

The silence was getting louder, causing her breath to quicken and her vision to get slightly blurry. However, it ceased and was met by a deafening roar from the audience's applause. She blinked a couple of times and looked up, seeing the lights on in the audience and something that she couldn't believe.

Every single member that had just watched her perform was giving her a standing ovation, with some whistling and others cheering her name, including Goh and Chloe, who she noticed based on Chloe's rapid waving of her hands to get her attention. Serena sat there, dazed and unable to process what was happening. So, she just simply grinned, taking in all the attention and affection from the audience, feeling ecstatic at the moment.

That moment of ecstasy was removed when Monsieur Pierre walked onto the stage and lightly tapped Serena's shoulder. "Zat was beautiful, darling!" He exclaimed, giving small claps himself for the performance he had just witnessed. Serena, who was overwhelmed by everything happening around her, simply smiled and nodded as a thank you to Monsieur Pierre's compliment.

"Unfortunately, you must get off ze stage so zat I can move on to ze results of ze Showcase," Monsieur Pierre said apologetically. Serena blinked a few times and suddenly became flustered, realizing she needed to get off the stage. "Oh! Sorry, yes, of course!" She stuttered, signaling to Braixen and Pancham, who were equally as shocked, to exit the stage and head into the dressing room area.

As she walked into the dressing room area, she could hear Monsieur Pierre's muffled voice trying to settle down the entire audience. "We can all agree zat was amazing, but you all must quiet down so everyone can decide on ze winner, please!" She could hear him speaking, slowly calming the audience down to an eerie silence. How does he do it? She thought to herself as she opened the door to the dressing room. How does he silence an entire crowd just like that?

Upon opening the door, she was met with a horde of other performers trying to get to see Serena, who was flabbergasted at the sight. "Serena! Serena! Tell us your secret!" They chanted, the crowd pushing her back into the door she came from. "I, uh, I'm just..." Serena tried saying, becoming anxious and nervous at how many different performers were crowding around her.

"Stop! Can't you see she's scared!" A voice rang out amongst the clamoring. The noise stopped and everyone, including Serena, tried to see who yelled. "Just let her be." The crowd began to part as the person walked through, breaking up the commotion and causing everyone to go back to where they were before, waiting for the results.

Finally, the person revealed themselves to Serena. "Miette?" Serena asked softly. "You saved me there. Thanks," She said. Miette shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, you performed pretty well, and I felt bad about everything that's been going on." Serena realized what she was talking about and instantly turned away from Miette, feeling a slight hatred for her at the moment. "Oh...that," she said coldly.