Vaniville Town
Serena stood still, rooted to her spot, absolutely dumbfounded at the sight of her mother's other guests. She could feel all eyes on her, including those of Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, but she didn't care the slightest. It had been years since she last saw any of them in person, and now they were standing in the middle of her kitchen?! This was just too good for her to believe!
"Calem?" she asked incredulously.
The teenage boy gave her a toothy grin. "Hey, cuz," he said as he stretched out his arms. "Long time, no see!"
"Oh, my Arceus!" The honey-blonde Performer was quick to envelop him in a tight hug. "I can't believe you're here!" She then broke the hug and looked at the other people in the kitchen, immediately recognizing them as well. "Auntie Layla?! Uncle Moose?! You guys are here too?!"
"Well, of course, Serena," the man replied. "Your mother called and told us about what you've been doing as a Pokémon Performer, and..."
"We thought it'd be appropriate to travel over to Kalos and celebrate this occasion!" completed the woman. With the last three words, she gestured to the kitchen table, which was holding an eloquent-looking chocolate cake with the words 'TO OUR BELOVED KALOS QUEEN' frosted on it with red icing.
"Wow!" Serena exclaimed, her eyes shimmering with emotion at the sight of the wonderful cake. "You guys... I can't believe you did this for me..."
"Anything for you, Serena!" Shauna exclaimed, smiling from cheek to cheek. "It was actually all your mother's idea."
"We're all so proud of you, honey," Grace said warmly. The teenage girl didn't waste any time in giving her mother a hug, which Grace reciprocated.
Once the hug was done, Clemont stepped beside Serena and asked, "These people are your relatives, Serena?"
"Yeah," Serena replied, still in awe at the surprise reunion. "Yeah, they are..."
"Awesome!" Ash cried. He pointed to himself with his thumb. "My name is Ash Ketchum! And this is my partner Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!" greeted Pikachu.
"It's so great to meet you all. Anyone who's a friend or family member of my friend is a friend of mine!"
"I'm Clemont," said Clemont, bowing his head. "Pleased to meet you."
"I'm Bonnie," Bonnie greeted before gesturing to Dedenne and Squishy. "And these here are Dedenne and Squishy!"
"Dedenne!" Dedenne greeted, while Squishy just chirped strangely again.
"Nice to meet you all!" Layla said, smiling serenely. She stood up from her wooden chair, and at that moment, Serena, Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, and Bonnie noticed the bulge on her abdomen. "I'm Layla, Grace's sister, and that's my husband Moose." Moose waved at the group.
"And I'm Calem," added Calem, gesturing to himself. "Serena's cousin."
"Second cousin, actually," Grace clarified.
"Well, I'm the closest cousin Serena's got, so there's no need for that, Auntie Grace!"
"Wait a minute, you said your name was Ash Ketchum?" Moose asked suddenly, looking at the raven-haired Trainer. When Ash nodded in affirmative, Moose stood up from his own chair; at that moment, Ash felt like he recognized him from somewhere else. "Oh my goodness, who would've thunk it?! It is you!"
"Wait a minute, we already know that boy, honey?" asked Layla.
"Yeah, remember Nana's birthday party? That train ride?"
With those cues, Layla's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh yeah, I remember now!"
Ash arched an eyebrow. The events Moose mentioned sounded familiar to him, but then again, he had been on many train rides and attended many birthday parties with lots of people throughout his journeys.
"Wh-What?" he replied, perplexed. "I don't understand..."
"Pika..." Pikachu added in agreement.
"We met on a train in Sinnoh!" Moose explained. "You and your friends were on your way to a Gracidea Flower garden with a Shaymin! Oh, what were those kids' names again...?"
"Dawn and Brock!" Ash blurted out, the memories of this Sinnoh adventure returning to him. "Yeah, I remember now! We went to your great-grandmother's one-hundredth birthday party afterwards!" His eyes bulged in surprise. "Wow! I never know you guys were Serena's aunt and uncle!"
"Pika-pikachu," Pikachu added, the Mouse Pokémon nodding his head in agreement.
"I guess it's a small world," Layla remarked, chuckling.
As Ash got reacquainted with her aunt and uncle, Serena observed her crush with surprise. No, she wasn't surprised by the fact that he met her beloved maternal aunt before, although that still would be something to get surprised over. But no, there was something else that weighed on her mind after that conversation, something that seemed more important than a previous chance encounter between Ash and her Auntie Layla.
"Dawn and Brock..." she repeated in her mind. "Brock has to be a guy's name... But...Dawn? Is that a girl's name? Did Ash travel with a girl before me? If he did...then...what are his thoughts about her...?"
She clenched her fists, trying hard not to think about the plethora of possibilities this scenario laid out.
"Alright, enough chitchat, folks!" Grace announced suddenly, interrupting Serena's thoughts of concern. She had just pulled open a drawer and taken out a few plates. "Let's eat!"
"ALRIGHT!" the other Trainers, plus a drooling Bonnie, cried in anticipation.
Several minutes later
"How come you've never told us about your other relatives, Serena?!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"Yeah, I didn't know you had any family outside of your mom," Clemont added.
Right now, Serena, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, Calem, Grace, Layla, and Moose were outside in the yard, seated at an oblong table that Ash, Calem, and Moose set up (after Clemont failed to set it up by himself with another one of his new inventions). They were eating their own slices of the chocolate cake, as well as other food that Grace and Layla had set up. Pikachu, Dedenne, and Fletchling were nearby, eating Pokémon food with Rhyhorn at the foot of its kennel. As for Squishy, it was lying on the concrete wall bordering the Gabena house, sunbathing in contentment.
"Yeah, Serena," Calem said, standing beside the honey-blonde and slinging his arm over her shoulders, behind her neck. "Why didn't you tell your friends about your dear ole cousin? That's very hurtful to know, if you ask me."
"I-It just never came up," Serena replied, though she did look a little guilty about it. "There's was never a perfect opportunity to mention them. Th-That's all..."
The boy then chuckled and gently patted her on the back. "Ah, come on, don't tear up about it, Serena! I'm just teasing you!" When Serena continued to look embarrassed, he chuckled again. "I guess some things don't change."
The Performer suddenly shot him a look born from the depths of Hell. "And what's that supposed to mean...?"
Calem's skin paled slightly. "Nothing, nothing..." He then proceeded to scan his cousin from head to toe, and once he was done, he said, "Speaking of changes, I gotta admit, I really like the style you set up for yourself. Especially the short hair. Since when did you start rocking that new hairdo?"
"Since eight months ago."
"Why the change, cuz?"
"It's..." Serena could see Shauna at the corner of her eye. "It's a long story, actually..."
Calem took the hint and steered away from that topic. "You know, Serena," he said earnestly, "I always thought you'd be stuck riding Rhyhorn under your mom's instructions. But look at you! You actually got away from her and became your own person!"
"Well, I don't know about that," Grace replied teasingly. "I still think she needs to hop back on the saddle. I've got a couple of remaining lessons to teach her."
"Oh, stop it, sis!" Layla cried, pretending to look affronted. Being seated right beside her sister, she playfully punched her in the shoulder, though Grace still rubbed it as if it actually did sting.
"So, Calem," Ash said, after he finished eating what seemed to be his fifth slice of cake, "are you traveling through Kalos too?"
"No, actually," Calem replied. "I was born here, but my folks and I moved to Sinnoh before I turned ten. Speaking of which..." He looked at Serena. "My folks send all their love and pride, Serena. They wish they could've been here, but you know how things are..."
"Yeah," said Serena. "Tell them I said thanks."
As soon as Calem nodded, Ash asked him, "So you live in Sinnoh now?"
"That's right. Snowpoint City, to be exact. And that's where I started my Pokémon journey."
"Awesome! You know, I challenged the Sinnoh League a couple of years back!"
Calem blinked, impressed. "Really?"
"Mm-hm. And I got pretty far."
"What placement did you land?"
"Top Four."
"HA!" The Kalos-born Trainer immediately dropped his fork on his plate, startling Tierno and Trevor, and gestured to himself proudly. "You're looking at a League champ here!"
"No way!" Ash's eyes lit up with awe and excitement, and Tierno and Trevor also looked astounded by Calem's revelation. "You actually won the Sinnoh League?!"
"Yep," Serena replied, suddenly looking particularly irritated. "He practically annoyed his way through the whole thing."
But both Ash and Calem ignored her. "What is it like, challenging the Elite Four?" Ash asked.
"Harder than a Shellder," Calem replied, his gaze suddenly hardening a little. "I lost all but my Empoleon to Leonardo, and then Bertha totally dominated the field with her Hippowdon."
"Leonardo?" Ash raised an eyebrow, having expected to hear the name of Bug-type specialist Aaron instead, only to be dealt with this surprise. "Who's that?"
"What, you've never-?" Then, Calem's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, that's right. He must've retired before you started your Sinnoh journey. Well, he was the first Elite Four member you had to face, but that guy was older than Arceus. I'm surprised that I sorta expected him to still be there."
"Wow, so you actually managed to win a battle against an Elite Four member?" asked Trevor. He then started playing with his cake with his fork. "Those guys are supposed to be the most powerful Trainers out there, behind the Champion, of course. I think I'd be creamed facing any one of them, no matter what my team is..."
"Creamed? That's the understatement of the century, Trev..." Tierno replied.
"Oh, I think you can find your way around their power, man, but only if you study their strategies and train really hard," Calem said. The Trainer casually popped a grape into his mouth, coolly chewed on it a few times before swallowing it, turned his gaze back to Ash, and asked, "So, where are you from, Ash? You don't look like you're from around here."
"I'm from Kanto. Pallet Town, to be exact."
"Pallet Town?" Calem shot Serena a curious look. "Hey, isn't that where you went to that Pokémon Summer Camp ten years ago, cuz?"
"Yeah..." the honey-blonde replied, blushing at the treasured memory of that fateful week. "Turns out Ash was the boy I told you about, Calem."
Calem shot up from his seat, startling the other Trainers. "No way, really?!" He looked from Serena to Ash repeatedly. Then, he sat back down, set his sights on Ash, and said, "Hey, man, I'd give you a lot of flak if you weren't cool in my book. My cuz here just wouldn't shut up about you!"
"CALEM!" Serena shrieked, her voice cracking a little. "H-H-He doesn't need to know about that!"
"Well, he's right, Serena," Grace said, smirking. "Ever since we left that summer camp, you wouldn't stop talking about that boy. Ash this and Ash that." She then glanced at Ash. "But to be honest, I didn't expect you to be that same boy, Ash. Talk about coincidences."
"Tell me about it," Moose replied. "This kid knows our family in more ways than one. It's pretty weird."
"Well, I have been traveling for years," Ash said as he scratched his cheek with embarrassed humility. "I've met so many people during that time."
"So, tell me, Ash," Layla said, as she took a jug of juice and refilled her glass, "whatever happened to those friends of yours? Dawn and Brock? They're not with you anymore?"
"Well, they both left to pursue their own goals. Brock wanted to study and become a Pokémon Doctor, and Dawn, well, she wanted to compete in Hoenn Contests. I couldn't come with either of them because I heard about the Unova region and wanted to continue my travels there. But I still keep in touch with them."
Serena's brow furrowed with heightening concern. Knowing that Ash traveled with another girl before was one thing, but learning that Ash was still in contactwith said girl? What kind of things would they talk about whenever they wanted to catch up? Would they get all lovey-dovey? ...No, it couldn't be, Ash was oblivious to romance, she of all people should know that! ...But...what if this Dawn girl managed to beat her to punch? Would that explain why Ash seemed so dense every time she tried to throw hints of her true feelings at his direction? Was it because his heart just belonged to someone else? Actually, it does make sense...
A lot of sense, actually!
"Serena, are you okay?"
Serena squeaked upon hearing Ash's voice talking to her. She stared at her crush's face, which was wearing an expression of curiosity.
"Your face is so red, and you're sweating like you just got out of the pool!" he said.
"Pika," Pikachu added, nodding his head in concern.
"Y-Y-Yeah," Serena stuttered. "I'm-I'm fine, Ash. J-J-Just fine."
"You sure?"
"Y-Y-Yes! I-I've never been surer in my entire life!"
At the corner of her eye, she saw Bonnie and Shauna looking at each other with knowing expressions on their faces. Dear Arceus, she was that obvious, wasn't she?
Fortunately for her, Ash took her word for it. Just as quickly as a Rapidash, he focused his attention back on Calem.
"So, Calem, can you show me your Pokémon?" he asked.
Calem's attention became piqued. "Excuse me, what?" he replied with confusion.
"Can you show me your full team of Pokémon? I want to see what you've got!"
"O-Okay..." Putting down his kitchen utensils, Calem stood up from the table, walked over to the middle of the yard, and pulled out six Poké Balls. "Come on out, everyone!" He threw the devices into the air, summoning an Empoleon, Gallade, Scizor, Ferrothorn, Swellow, and...a Golem with a strangely different appearance. All of them let out cries of triumph as they looked at Ash, who stared back in amazement.
"Awesome!" the raven-haired Trainer cried, just as Pikachu chose to join his side. "So these are all of your Pokémon?!"
"That's just my current team, though," Calem replied as he meekly scratched the back of his head. "I've got about a hundred other Pokémon living at my parents' ranch back in Sinnoh."
Ash and Pikachu examined each Pokémon in turn before focusing on the bizarre-looking Golem, which stuck its head up proudly, showing off what could be called a large beard. "Whoa, is that supposed to be a Golem?"
"Believe it or not, it is."
"I never knew Golem could look like that..."
"Pika-pika..." Pikachu added, tilting his head in confusion.
"That's because its kind only comes from a region called Alola."
Ash stared at Calem with intrigue. "Alola?" he asked.
"Yes. I caught this Golem while vacationing there last summer. Here, I have the Pokédex entry..."
Calem pulled out his Pokédex, activated it, and scrolled through his entry history before finding the right one. He then showed it to Ash.
"Alolan Golem," the Pokédex explained, "the evolved form of Alolan Graveler and the final evolved from of Alolan Geodude. It is capable of firing rocks charged with electricity. The rocks it fires are so effective that just grazing an opponent will cause numbness and fainting."
"Wow..." Ash replied. "So there's another form for Geodude too. I bet Brock would love to see that... You say they can only be found in Alola?"
"Yes, that's correct." Calem put away his Pokédex and smiled in reminiscence. "It's a pretty nice place, if you ask me. I recommend going over there when you have the chance. A bunch of other Pokémon species that you've probably seen before have strange forms there."
Ash looked back at Golem, which was now sizing up a startled Pikachu. "Maybe I will..."
Meanwhile, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all stood up from the table to join Calem's Pokémon as well as Dedenne and Rhyhorn. Bonnie and Dedenne both quickly took a liking to the surprisingly playful Ferrothorn, Clemont wound up having to duck for cover after accidentally agitating Swellow, Shauna and Tierno were examining Gallade and Scizor, and Trevor was busy taking photos of the Alolan Golem.
As for Serena, she approached Empoleon, which stared back at her. Its eye glinted upon recognizing her, and it let out a friendly squawk.
"So this is your Piplup, Calem?" she asked.
"Yep, that's the same ole rascal," Calem replied, staring proudly at his starter Pokémon.
"It's been quite a while since I last saw him. He was a little Prinplup back then..."
The honey-blonde girl then pulled out her Pokédex and aimed it at Empoleon. The device activated itself at the sight of the Emperor Pokémon and explained, "Empoleon, the evolved form of Prinplup and the final evolved form of Piplup. Empoleon can swim as fast as a speedboat, and the edges of their wings are sharp enough to slice apart drifting ice."
Empoleon suddenly squawked again and opened its beak. Before Serena could react, it shot a Hydro Pump at her, which knocked her to the ground, completely soaked and dripping.
"SERENA!" Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all cried in concern, while Calem struggled to hold back his laughter.
"NOOOOO!" Serena screamed in frustration. "My clothes, they're are all WET!"
"What was that for, Empoleon?!" Ash snapped, jerking his head at Empoleon's direction; the Emperor Pokémon looked rather pleased with itself.
"Yeah, that was very rude of you!" Bonnie added, her cheeks puffing out.
"PIKA!" Pikachu squeaked in outrage.
"NENE!" Dedenne squeaked as well.
"I'm so sorry, guys," Calem replied, trying his best not to burst out laughing. "Ever since I got Piplup, he always loved to greet Serena by dousing her with Water Gun. But I guess after all those years, it couldn't control itself and used Hydro Pump instead. Quite a greeting, if I do say so myself."
Empoleon nodded proudly with agreement.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you, Calem?!" snapped Serena as she started to shiver.
"A little, yeah."
"Don't worry, Serena," Grace said nonchalantly, while Layla and Moose were chuckling to each other lightheartedly. "You go take a shower and I'll prepare some new clothes for you while we dry your outfit."
Serena shot Calem and Empoleon a scathing look before standing up and stalking towards the house.
"This is even worse than Goomy's Rain Dance..." she muttered to herself. As she passed the front door, the Performer took a lock of her honey-blonde hair and squeezed it a little to relieve it of the water that soaked it.
The water dripped to the floor.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
Kiloude City
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
"Run, Aria! RUN!"
"Miss Aria!"
Reigning Kalos Queen Aria woke up with a startled gasp. For the briefest moment, she expected to see green and orange. Instead, she saw the cool-gray eyes of her chauffeur, and for that, she sighed in relief.
"Have we arrived, Ardmore?" she asked.
"Oui, miss," the chauffeur replied. "We're home. And your master awaits." He then noticed Aria's pose, which easily indicated discomfort. "If you're uncomfortable with this, miss, I can just-"
"No!" Aria interrupted suddenly. Then, she composed herself and continued in a calmer voice, "No, Ardmore. There's no need to call Master Palermo." She gazed out of the window. "It's about time I did this."
Ardmore nodded in understanding. "If you insist, Miss Aria."
Aria nodded back, smiling faintly at the older man. Then, she took a couple of deep breaths, flexed her fingers, adjusted her large blue bow, and then put on a convincing smile that would make anyone's hearts flutter.
"Alright," she said to herself. "Let's do this."
She opened the door, whereupon she was immediately bombarded by flashing lights, voices shouting questions and pleas at her, and a cacophony of girlish squeals. But that didn't faze Aria the slightest. She maintained her smile and cheerful expression as she got out of the sedan and waved, provoking even more squeals from excited fans.
"AAAAARIAAAAA!" voices screamed.
Aria immediately forced her nightmare to the rearmost portion of her mind and continued smiling and waving. She proceeded to walk down through the massive crowd, all while enduring the constant flashes of light. Through those flashes, she saw Kiloude City's most famous landmark, the Laurier Maison.
Once Aria reached the massive wooden front doors, she waited for them to open up. Once they were fully open, the Kalos Queen turned around, waved one last time at the crowd of desperate paparazzi reporters and rabid fan-clubs, and stepped inside before the resident maids closed the doors on her. Once she was sure she was out of the public eye, the redhead heaved out a sigh of relief. Then, she turned around...and saw the closest person she could call a mother.
"Master," the Kalos Queen greeted.
"Aria," Palermo replied. The two stepped forward and shared a brief but emotional hug. "It's been a memorable year."
The two proceeded to walk away from the lobby and into a living room, where they seated themselves in separate luxury sofas.
"Indeed it has been, Master. There were lots of Performances, some memorable and others...not so much. But I guess it's the same old, same old in the end."
Palermo's eye twinkled suddenly. "Not exactly..."
"You're talking about Serena, aren't you?"
The producer nodded. "That girl... She has a lot of potential in her. I saw it. She's not you, but with the proper guidance, she can be you, and even more."
Aria arched an eyebrow. "But didn't she turn down your offer to mentor her?"
"Yes, she did. But I'm still keeping that offer open. And if she insists on turning me down, then I have other options available for her, all just as good for her future."
"But it's a shame she turned you down, Master. I agree with you one-hundred percent; she would've made a great Kalos Queen. She would've brought so many smiles, more than I could even comprehend." The redhead sighed heavily. "It's a shame I had to defeat her in the Gloire Master Class..."
Palermo looked at her former student with an expression of curiosity, though it would be hard for anyone to discern it through her seemingly perpetual sternness. "Do you mean to tell me you wanted that girl to replace you?"
"It's not that I dislike this position, Master, but...I have the longest tenure as Kalos Queen in Showcase history, no one's posed a serious challenge to me during that time besides Serena, and life as Kalos Queen gets really repetitive and monotonous sometimes." When she noticed Palermo's surprised expression, she continued, "Master, what I mean to say is that, well...I need a little change of pace."
"I thought that was what this Exhibition Showcase was for."
"That's what I thought too. But now, I honestly don't know." Aria sighed again. "I'm sorry, Master. It's just..."
Her voice trailed off, prompting Palermo to reply, "It's completely understandable. I know this time of the year is a little hard for you."
"It always is..."
Palermo suddenly smiled. "Which is why I decided to call over someone, for a little well-needed emotional guidance. I believe you know her."
She snapped her fingers, prompting another door to open. A young woman stepped into the living room; she had red hair like Aria's, but she also had blue eyes. Accompanying this woman was a well-groomed Lopunny wearing a few fancy accessories. Aria's red eyes widened at the sight of the newest arrival.
"Paris?" she asked incredulously.
The woman smiled and replied, "Hey, little sis. How are you doing?"