Well, this was quite fun to write honestly. Hopefully you guys enjoy the chapter! Without further ado, here is the second chapter! Enjoy!
"Oh wow, that's actually a good id-, wait WHAT?!"
Serena never said anything, just continued to smile at Ash mischievously. Ash sweatdropped and continued, "So you're saying that I will take your place while you train your pokemon?" He really couldn't believe what he heard. He knew almost nothing about Pokemon Showcases, not to mention dancing in general, and now Serena wants him to help her with the biggest performance of her life thus far?
"Yeah, why not? How else would I be able to work on my pokemon's moves while making sure the whole performance is cohesive? You would be the perfect replacement!" In Serena's mind, on one hand she really did need his help because of her injury, but on the other hand, she just wanted to spend more time with the boy. She just wants to have some fun with him, alone, while at the same time be productive.
Ash looked at Serena in embarrassment. Under any other circumstance, he would've outright rejected that kind of idea because it's not something that's in his comfort zone at all. However in this case, Ash really did want to see that sweet smile of hers, and to see her achieve her dream. So, for that, he reluctantly said, "You know what, sure, I'll do it. What do I need to do?"
~~~~~
"Ok guys, today we will be able to practise our routine after all. But to do that, I have invited Ash over here to help." Serena led Ash to her pokemon, who were willingly waiting for training to start. Once they heard what Serena said, they turned their heads to Ash, who waved at them while hesitantly laughing. Serena then went to her pokemon and whispered to them, "I know Ash may not be the ideal person for this kind of thing, but we do need all of the help we can get, and I do also want to spend some alone time with him. So please understand where I am coming from." Her pokemon all shouted in joy, while Braixen just smirked.
"Ok, everyone to your positions! And Ash, please stand here. You just try to copy my moves, and it should be fine." Serena gestured to Ash to stand in the middle while her pokemon stood around him, all of them in their starting positions. Ash got more and more hesitant with what he was doing then, but still decided to roll with it.
"And, go!"
Serena's pokemon started rehearsing like they usually did, while Ash, painfully, tried his utmost best to follow Serena's restricted movements. For the first few rounds, Ash kept on falling down and everyone fell anime-style onto the floor, laughing. Although mostly in a bit of pain, Ash smiled to see Serena so happy just like that, and that motivated him to persevere and continue with the training, no matter how stupid he looked.
As time went by, Ash's movements became much more fluid, and he could actually keep up with Serena's pokemon. Serena was actually surprised by this. She knew that Ash was very unpredictable and could do or learn things fairly quickly, but she never knew that someone like Ash could learn how to dance that well with so little practice.
The progress Ash made came to the point that he could give comments and suggestions to make the performance even smoother and overall, even better. "You know what, these showcases are starting to remind me of Pokemon Contests, so I guess I do know a bit when it comes to performing." He explained.
For the whole morning, it was just the two teenagers training their hearts out, brainstorming different ideas together and trying them out in the routine itself. For the pokemon, not only were they very focused in their practice and enjoying it, they were also very happy seeing both trainers interacting so much and so well with each other. They only just realised through this, that both of their minds were really in sync, and their thoughts were very cohesive with each other. Both of them were able to agree on basically everything without any kind of conflict.
"I've never seen two humans more compatible with each other in my life. They seem almost like the same person!" Sylveon pointed out.
"You're right on that one." Pancham replied.
Braixen sighed and said, "I wonder how long it will take for both of them to finally be together." Everyone else nodded.
However, no matter what, in all of the pokemon's minds, they knew both trainers were a match made in heaven, and all of them would do their very best to make both of them proud.
~~~~~
Lunch time arrived, and Ash and Serena came to the makeshift table, still talking about their own performance ideas, consolidating and vetting each other's unique suggestions. Both Clemont and Bonnie took notice of this, and asked, "What are you guys talking about?" Ash looked at Bonnie and replied, "Oh, we are just talking about Serena's performance routine, because we all know that her performance needs to be perfect in order to win. You guys will be able to see it tomorrow once we're done." Both the Lumiose siblings seemed satisfied by that response, and the group headed over to eat.
After lunch, both Ash and Serena said their final suggestions, and finally collated the ideas into one cohesive performance. Afterwards, everyone, including Ash, did one last practice run while Serena sat down to see the whole performance for herself. Once the performance ended, Serena was starting to tear up, as she was very proud of her pokemon for giving such a good performance, and decided to call it a day. Knowing that he can finally rest, Ash heaved a sigh of relief, thanking Arceus that it was over.
However, as they were packing up, Serena had a sad and worried expression on her face and looked deep in thought, to which Ash noticed. He became confused, as he thought that Serena would be generally happy that they finally finished and perfected their performance. He decided not to pry at that moment, but made a mental note to discuss it with her later on.
Once everything was done, they went to meet Clemont and Bonnie to sit and relax for the rest of the day, occasionally striking small talk amongst themselves.
~~~~~
It was nighttime. Serena tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, unable to sleep. She was proud of the big amount of progress her pokemon made, and was glad for Ash to sacrifice his own training to help her with the practice routine. However, she was a bit scared of her doing the actual performance on the day itself. Because of Ash, she realised what her dream was, and now she wanted to achieve that dream as fast as possible.
The only thing was, she knew her pokemon had already perfected their moves, but she never got any actual practice with her own moves. Serena was worried that she would make a mistake while performing on stage, and thought that she would disappoint everyone that had supported her from the start. She would never want to let all her pokemon's hard work and effort go to waste, and that's what was bothering her.
A few minutes of pondering, and she decided to get out of her tent to get some fresh air to calm herself down. She took a deep breath in and out, and walked (or limped to that extent) to the place where she and Ash did their training. Speaking of Ash, Serena found Ash sitting next to a tree nearby, gazing up at the night sky. "Oh hey Serena, I figured you would come here at this time. Come, sit here."
Serena took a seat beside Ash and he continued, "The sky is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" Serena looked up to see for herself, and she was mesmerised by the different shades of blue, purple and black, and also the twinkling stars that gave the night sky another level of beauty.
After a few moments, Ash turned to Serena and asked, "So, what's bothering you this time? I saw your expression while we were packing everything." Serena gasped, was she that obvious? She stuttered, before answering, "Uh...uh, well, I guess my pokemon have been exceptional right now, mastering their moves and dances to the best of their abilities, and I am proud of that. However, I have this injury now, and I feel like I won't have time to fully master my own moves. I'm scared that I will make a big mistake on stage. I don't want to let my pokemon and mother down, and put all their efforts to waste, especially during the Master Class showcase. Most importantly, I don't want to disappoint you, and waste the sacrifice you made just for me."
Ash listened to Serena vent out her feelings as freely as possible, and as he heard the last sentence, he blushed lightly. He thought, "Because of me? She was worried that she would disappoint me if she messed up?" Without hesitation, he wrapped his hands around Serena and gave her a hug. Serena was startled by this at first, and a blush was starting to appear on her cheeks. She asked, "Wh...what are you doing?"
(Time for a little nostalgia ;D) Ash let go, but still kept his hands on Serena's shoulder. He then answered, "You don't need to be so upset because of me. No matter the result on the day itself, I would still be very proud of you for the progress you made thus far. Besides, I feel unsure sometimes too. However, I believe that if you have time to feel unsure, you should just try making a move. If that ends in failure, you will at least be left with something. There's nothing you could do that would be pointless." He took another deep breath and continued, "Same for your performance, no matter what the result is, you don't have to make it a burden on yourself. Next time, just try even harder and one day you will achieve it." Ash gave a determined look to Serena.
Serena was dumbfounded by Ash's speech. She thought, "Maybe I have been too hard on myself..." Once she comprehended everything, she smiled and formed a fist, saying, "You really know how to cheer someone up, don't you? Sure, I will just try my best and be proud of any result I get! Thanks Ash!"
Afterwards, both Ash and Serena went back to their respective tents, and Serena slept soundly, more determined than ever for her Master Class showcase performance.
~~~~~
The next morning came, and just as expected, Serena's ankle had healed. Once more, she practised the performance routine along with her pokemon, this time in front of everyone. To her surprise, her moves were flawless and there were barely any mistakes. Knowing this, she gained more confidence that she could win the title of Kalos Queen. After a few minutes, her routine finished, everyone gave their compliments and praises, while Ash just nodded at her, proud that his speech last night was effective.
Once everyone was ready, Serena, with the most amount of determination that anyone has ever seen, shouted, "Gloire City, here I come! The next Kalos Queen is coming!" Ash chuckled at her amount of enthusiasm, whereas Clemont and Bonnie were a bit startled by the sudden surge of confidence in Serena. And with that, Ash, Serena and the Lumiose siblings traversed on towards Gloire City. Serena, this time, hoped more than ever that she could win the whole thing and make her pokemon, her mother and her Ash proud.
This was more a filler chapter, to be honest. However, the first exciting chapter comes next, and it's the Master Class performance, so stay tuned for that!
Until then, see you guys in the next chapter! Peace ✌️