I Wanna Be The Very Best

Chapter 55: A Fiery Masterclass opening

It's been a few days since Ash's 18th birthday and tomorrow is the day of the opening ceremony for the master class competition.

Ash and Serena have made the move to a high end hotel in Lumiose city, provided for competitors after Serena registered this morning.

The two have settled in to their luxury hotel room, where they plan to stay for the next few days over the course of the competition.

However, at the moment the room is a little frosty to say the least as the two find themselves deep in thought over two separate issues.

Serena finds herself transfixed by the tv, as she watches something on repeat. Meanwhile, Ash finds himself sat at a desk as he constantly scrolls through pages on a computer.

He takes a conflicted sigh and whispers to himself "Who do I even use? I wish I just had Greninja with me for this match, it would be so much easier that way. With his strength I wouldn't even need to worry."

Serena looks at the tv and continuously watches a commercial for the upcoming showcase, heavily starring the current Kalos queen Aria. She takes a sad sigh and whispers under her breath "Can I really beat you like this?"

Serena shakes off her thoughts and turns off the tv. She decides that she needs to do something to distract herself from her own self doubt.

She gets off the bed and walks towards Ash to see what he's doing as an attempt to distract herself. She sees he's working on the computer and decides to take the opportunity to join him.

She goes to pull up a chair when Ash turns towards her with an inviting smile and taps his hand against his lap.

Serena smiles and takes her boyfriend's invitation as she sits down on his lap with her inner 15 year old screaming the whole time.

She shakes off her clear happiness at the situation before she turns towards the computer screen. What she can see on the screen is Ash constantly scrolling as pokeballs with little icons on them fill the screen.

Serena tilts her head a little as she questions "What are you doing babe?"

Ash takes a small sigh before he answers while never letting his eyes leave the computer screen "I'm trying to decide what Pokémon to use in tomorrows battle. I have so many options but none of them really stand out as a perfect option to take on Diantha with."

Serena frowns a little at Ash's predicament. Over the last few days he's been constantly debating in his head what Pokémon he wants to use in his one on one battle with Diantha. The only problem is, his heart is set on using one Pokémon he has no chance of using. Serena knows all of this of course and can't help but feel sympathy towards his situation.

She looks her boyfriend in the eye and suggests "Why not at least try to call Greninja back? He'd be great and he could easily beat Diantha now, if he almost did it back then when you were still mastering the bond phenomenon. I know how much you want to use him tomorrow."

Ash sighs as he takes in Serena's words. While he knows that every point she makes is right of course. It's not as simple as she makes it sound. He shakes his head and replies in a downed tone "His work it too important, plus I can't rely on him all the time. My other Pokémon need to be just as strong as him if I'm going to be a Pokémon master. While I know deep down he'll always be my strongest, I need to be more versatile than that."

Serena nods a little, not wanting to push Ash further on the subject as she replies "Hmm, I understand Ash."

She takes a second to think before she suggests "Why not use Pikachu then? He's super strong and I'm sure a 10 million volt thunderbolt will be pretty difficult for Diantha to deal with."

Pikachu, stood on the desk right in front of Ash, pumps a fist in the air and shouts in agreement "Pika, Pika!"

Ash smiles apologetically at his first Pokémon and pats the top of his head as he apologies "Sorry buddy, but I can't rely on z moves all the times either. Some leagues don't allow them and you've battled champions the most of out of all my Pokémon. I think it's time someone else gets a chance."

Serena tilts her head a little and exclaims "That makes sense again."

Pikachu replies "Pika pi," and nods his head in understanding of his trainer. While he would love to battle tomorrow, he completely gets and agrees with Ash's decision.

Serena takes a second to think before she smiles and exclaims "So why not use Charizard? I know he loves to battle and he's super strong! Plus it's always great to see him, not to mention he'd make a great entrance for us tomorrow! Imagine us both riding on his back to the stadium. It would make for quite the scene."

Ash laughs a little at Serena's point, imagining the shock on people's faces as he flies into the stadium. He smiles at his girlfriend and replies "Yeah that would be pretty cool, but I actually can't call him here at the moment."

Serena frowns a little at Ash's words as she questions "Really, why's that Ash?"

Ash let's off a small sigh before he explains "Charizard is back in the charizific valley for the next month. He's gone to see his friends there. I promised him he can go see them whenever he feels lonely, or if he ever wants to. He decided he wanted to see them again before I started calling upon him for league match ups."

Serena raises her eyebrow and further questions "What is the charizific valley?"

Ash smiles at his girlfriend and explains "It's a place in the Johto region where strong Charizard's come to train. My Charizard is the strongest there these days, but that doesn't mean it's still not good training for him. The keeper there Lizia is quite the strong teacher and she always trains him hard."

Serena shakes her head a little as she infers from Ash's words "So you left Charizard there to get stronger."

Ash take a sigh before he admits "Yeah, it was tough decision and one I made impulsively at the time. I admit that it was pretty stupid of me. I just left Charizard there without even taking into account his feelings. I still don't know if it was the right decision to be honest. I'll always regret how I acted that day, especially what I said to him when I left."

Serena is a little shocked at what she's hearing right now. She couldn't of imagined Ash having such issues with Charizard, considering they have such a good relationship these days. The fact he once released him all for the sake of being stronger is not something she'd expect from him.

However, she can tell this is a touchy subject for her boyfriend and something that there's clearly more than meets the eye too. She decides not to press for answers at this time and instead replies in a reassuring tone "Well, Charizard seems happy and if he's going back off his own accord then he must have some great memories there. I'm sure he doesn't hold any hatred towards you for what ever happened."

Ash looks up at his girlfriend, feeling a little more reassured by her words as he replies "Yeah, I hope your right Serena."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend and quickly changes the subject as she exclaims "But still, that doesn't solve your little problem."

Ash takes a small sigh as he explains "Yeah, my problem is that I'm not sure about the rest of my Pokémon's strength and how well they'd stack up against champion level opponents. I know Pikachu can do it,  Greninja is my strongest and Charizard can do it too. But the rest I don't know about yet, and I don't want to be embarrassed by Diantha. I know it's only a friendly battle but people are going to jump on any sign of weakness. I never had to beat a champion or even the elite 4 to earn my tittle. People will be sceptical and that will only get worse if I lose badly."

Serena can completely sympathise with Ash's situation. While he is a champion he is still considered the underdog in this match without his ace pokemon. With Greninja the public say Ash's a top 5 trainer in the world. But without him he's regularly ranked outside the top 10. Losing tomorrow would definitely be ammunition for those who hate on his success. But she knows he can ignore that if it comes to it. What he needs to do is focus on what's best for his Pokémon and their development.

She beams a bright smile at her boyfriend and questions "Ash, do you remember what you told me when I lost the last masterclass?"

Ash raises an eyebrow and lets off a confused "Huh?"

Serena looks deep into his eyes with a bright smile and exclaims in a enthusiastic tone "Nothing you ever do is a waste of time! If you don't try,  you'll never succeed! I think you need to follow your own advice on this one Ash."

Ash takes in Serena's point as his problems slowly begin to disappear. He smiles and pumps his fist as he shouts "Yeah your right! So what if I lose this? Then I'll know what level my Pokémon are at and just how much further they need to go to get to that level! No matter what happens, this battle won't be a waste of time!"

Serena smiles at Ash's renewed enthusiasm and determination as she exclaims "Now that's the man I love."

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's sudden statement before he leans in and pecks her lips sweetly.

He looks back at the computer screen and scrolls down until he finds the exact Pokémon perfect for this exact challenge. He clicks on the pokeball on screen and gets it sent over. A few seconds later, the pokeball transfer machine works its magic as the pokeball appears right on the desk in front of Ash.

Ash smiles and takes the pokeball off his desk before holding it up towards his face. His smirk only grows brighter as he whispers in a determined tone "I'm putting my faith in you old friend."

Serena smiles as she questions "So, who did you pick?"

Ash smirks and replies in a teasing tone "You'll find out tomorrow Serena."

Serena frowns a little and shakes her head as she fires back "Your really going to tease me like that."

Ash nods and continues on their little game as he nonchalantly replies "Yep."

Serena crosses her arms and puts her nose into the air as she pouts "Well in that case, I'm not going to speak to you for the rest of the day. You won't be getting any cuddles or kisses either."

Ash smirks wider at Serena's playful pout as he decides to take her by surprise. He quickly readjusts him and picks her up while standing up from the chair in one motion, carrying Serena over his shoulder effortlessly.

Serena giggles at her boyfriend's sudden action as she playfully punches his back and whines "Put me down Ash!"

Ash smirks as he makes his way towards the bed to oblige to Serena's request. He moves directly next to the bed and gently dumps Serena down on the pillows bellow.

However as Serena lands, she let's out a small gasp of pain before she quickly clutches her ribs.

While Ash only lightly dropped her, she still felt a jolt of pain corse through her midsection. It wasn't as bad as it was when she first suffered the broken bones, but it certainly did still hurt.

Ash quickly realises his mistake and takes a seat next to Serena on the bed to comfort her. He places a concerned look on his face as he exclaims in a panic "Shoot Serena I forgot, are you okay? I'm really sorry."

Serena frowns as she sits up on the bed, allowing Ash to wrap an arm around her shoulder. She isn't mad at him for dropping her at all, in fact what he did was pretty nonchalant to her and something they did while playing around with each other.

She sighs as she mutters in a downed tone "If a simple landing on a soft bed hurts, what am I going to do when the masterclass starts."

Ash takes in Serena's words for a second before he replies in an an upbeat tone "I knew that was still bothering you. Babe your going to be great, injured ribs and all. I've got complete faith in you. You don't have anything to worry about."

Despite Ash's kind words, Serena is still filled with doubt as she questions "What if I lose Ash? Then what?"

Ash smiles and continues with his same enthusiasm "Then I'll catch you when you fall and bring you back up Serena. I've lost so many times in my career remember. If you lose then we'll find a way to make it right in the future. It'll just be a set back along the way."

Serena's slightly happier after her boyfriend's words but still lets her doubt get the better of her as she exclaims with her head down towards the ground "I know Ash. But what if I lose and then lose again, and again while you keep winning. Then what will happen?"

Ash shakes his head at Serena's constant doubting of herself as he places two fingers on her chin to lift her head up. He looks directly into her eyes with a loving gaze and replies in a soft tone "Serena, like you told me in Alola, block out the outside noise and focus on what matters most. I don't care what people say about us, win or lose. All that matters is our friends, family, pokemon and us. We both know that we need each other's support to win. That's a fact. No matter what happens, I'll be proud of you to say the least. I'll still love you all the same way Serena."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend, feeling encouraged by his words as she lets her self doubt disappear. She looks into her boyfriend's loving eyes and instantly feels so attracted towards him. She acts on instinct as she grabs him by the collar of his shirt before attacking him with her lips.

Ash smiles at the sudden kiss before he returns the favour, beginning a steamy make out session. The two lose themselves in each other as they roll all around the bed with their lips intertwined.

After a few minutes, they break and breath a little heavy from a lack of oxygen.

Serena catches his breath first as she smiles and whispers "I love you Ash, you always know what to say."

Ash smiles at his girlfriend's words and replies "I love you too babe, but what I say doesn't matter because your going to win anyway."

Serena nods her head and exclaims in a determined tone "Your right Ash, I'm going to be the next Kalos queen!"

Ash smiles at Serena's new found confidence and replies in a positive tone "That's my girl."

The two lay together on the bed as Serena rests her head on Ash's chest, while rubbing the palms of her hands against one of his pecks.

Ash smirks at Serena's actions and exclaims with a little tease in his tone "Remember, none off that stuff until after the masterclass. We both agreed. It was your idea remember."

Serena sighs, really feeling in the mood right now as her body begins to betray her. She sighs and  complains "What a stupid idea that was, why did I say that?"

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's cute pouty face before he replies "Don't worry, I promise it will be worth the wait."

Serena giggles a little at Ash's promise before she leans down and plants a sweet peck on his lips. She moves away from his lips before a smile creeps onto her face as she exclaims "Well, you've never let me down before."

The two lay there for a while in peace before they decide to turn in for an early night to prepare for the big day ahead of them tomorrow.
_________________________________

Intro

The next day, Ash and Serena get up nice and early in the morning as the day of the opening ceremony begins. They do their usual morning routine before they head into a car and drive towards Lumiose city stadium, the same place where Ash competed in during the Kalos league.

They both arrive at the stadium and head in together through the main entrance. There are plenty of reporters and journalists surrounding the entrance that take pictures of the couple as they make their way hand in hand towards the end of the corridor, where they are both ushered in different directions.

They give each other a good luck kiss and they say say their goodbyes, before making their way over to their separate locker rooms.

Meanwhile inside the stadium, the sell out crowd roars loudly as they await the start of the master class opening ceremony.

In the crowd, Ash has his own private VIP box, being the Alola champion. The box is very spacious and is similar in a way to the one Serena sat in during the Alola league.

While Ash isn't currently occupying said box, it is still being used in his absence.

Inside: Grace, Bonnie, Clemont, Tierno and Trevor sit as they await the start of the opening ceremony.

Ash and Serena invited Clemont and Bonnie to watch back at the gym, while Ash thought it would be nice for Grace to watch her daughter live at the big event. Grace was more than happy to oblige, booking time off work to free up her schedule. They invited Trevor and Tierno after Serena heared Shauna was going to be competing again, finding it only right to invite them to sit with Ash, considering the vast space in the VIP box.

Trevor starts up the conversation as he exclaims "It was so nice of Ash to invite us up here."

Tierno nods in agreement and replies "Yeah, knowing the Alola champion sure has its advantages."

Bonnie beams a bright smile as she clasps her hands together and exclaims in an excited tone "I can't wait to see Serena! She's going to look so pretty!"

Clemont has a semi serious look on his face as he remarks "I'm sure she's going to win this time."

Tierno shakes his head and replies in a confident tone "Not if Shauna has anything to say about it!"

Suddenly, the door to the VIP box door opens as a mahogany haired man walks in with his usual smug smile on his face.

A few days ago, Ash spoke to his best friend and heard that he was coming to the Kalos region for a research project with Professor Sycamore. Naturally Ash asked him to join him at the showcase and he accepted, bringing him to the exact point where he is right now.

He leans against the door frame and remarks in a smug tone "So, these are the losers Ashy boy is hanging out with these days huh?"

Everyone turns around to face him as Tierno questions "Who are you?"

Gary points towards himself and replies in his usual confident tone "The names Gary, but people tend to call me "Gary motherf***ing Oak!"

Clemont instantly frowns at Gary's statement as he places his hands over Bonnie's ears and complains "Hey watch your language!"

Gary shakes his head at Clemont's ludicrousness and replies casually "Hey, when I was her age I was driving corvettes around Kanto with my cheerleading team. A few swear words never hurt nobody."

Everyone sweat drops a little at Gary's answer, trying to figure out who the hell this guy is.

Trevor further brings up that point as he questions "What are you doing in Ash's box?"

Gary shakes his head and casually responds "The same reason your up here toad head."'

Everyone in the box slightly chuckles at Gary's insult, while Trevor frowns and complains "What's wrong with my head?"

Grace shakes her head a little as she decides to end everyone's suffering. She smiles as she greets "Gary, it's good to see you again."

Gary notices Serena's mother and bows politely in front of her as he exclaims "Its a pleasure to see you again Ms Grace."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow in confusion as she questions "You too know each other?"

Grace nods and explains with a motherly smile on her face "Yeah, I met Gary at Serena's celebration party in Hoenn. He's Ash's best friend and the grandson of the famous Professor Oak. He's also quite the party animal if I may add."

Gary smirks and adds "Yeah that's a pretty good description of me."

Clemont takes a second as he thinks about Grace's words. While this Gary figure may seem a little odd, he is apparently Ash's best friend. If that is the case then he must be a good person to say the least.

He smiles a little as he exclaims "Well, a friend of Ash's is a friend of ours as well."

The rest of the box nod in agreement with Clemont's statement as Gary makes his way towards his seat. He sits down next to the lemon blonde gym leader and replies "Thanks science boy."

Clemont sweatdrops a little and awkwardly remarks "Um, it's Clemont you know."

Gary smirks a little as he casually replies "That's excatly what I said."

Bonnie frowns at the two boys, already of the opinion that Gary is going to a lot more annoying than Ash. She shakes her head frantically and exclaims "Will you two be quiet! It's starting already!"

Suddenly the lights dim around the stadium as a massive performance stage slowly rises from the middle of the stadium, replacing where the battlefield would usually sit in an impressive show of modern engineering.

As the stage finishes its ascent from the darkness, a spot light appears on the stage and shines on a man known as Monsieur Pierre, dressed in his usual fancy gear as he prepares to host the opening ceremony.

Pierre takes a microphone as his Klefki flies around the edge of the stadium. He takes a breath before he begins "Bonjour Pokémon lovers, and welcome the Lumiose city Pokémon showcase opening ceremony!"

The crowd cheers and and applauds loudly before Pierre continues "Today, the beautiful and talented pokemon performers that have taken part in rookie class showcases all over kalos, and who have collected 3 princess keys in the process. They will be introducing themselves to you today before they all compete in the competition tomorrow!"

The crowd applaud at the statement before Monsieur Pierre continues "Now, without further ado, let us begin our opening ceremony!"

The crowd let's off one more thunderous applause as the ceremony begins.

Performers one by one, start being introduced to the crowd as they make their way out to the stage before standing in their designated spots.

There are over 100 performers in the competition, so introducing everyone starts to become a bit of a drag.

In the vip box, after half and hour of mindlessly watching performers walk out one by one. Somebody in the box begins to become a little bored, considering he only really turned up today to watch the battle.

Gary takes a bored sigh before he exclaims in his usualt arrogant tone "This is getting boring. Excuse me everyone, I'm going to get a drink."

Gary stands up from his seat and walks out the box. He walks into into the hallways of the behind the scenes areas of the stadium, in search of a place to buy refreshments.

In his search, he stumbles upon a slightly open door as a few voices mumble on the other side. Gary's curious side kicks into gear as he walks towards the door before peering inside the room through a small gap.

Inside the room, he spots an elderly woman with grey short hair, talking to a few men in suits who look very professional as they sit at a conference table in front of her.

The old women shakes her head and protests "You are seriously letting her compete, even with her medical record. Do really not understand how dangerous that could be to her career. We need to think clearly on this one. We can not risk an 18 year old girls career for a few stacks of cash. That is simply unethical."

One of the men in suits, shakes his head and responds in a calm tone "Palermo, on behalf of the board of directors, we need this showcase to be a bigger success than last year's. Having Serena win is the perfect way to grow showcases across the world, it is what's best for business."

Palermo frowns at the statement and further protests "You can't be serious? A performer should not compete while hurt, it is what me and many other experts would advise. You need to tell me this, why does she have to win? That is not what Pokémon showcases are about!"

A tall, well built lemon blonde man stands up from his seat. A sinister grin plasters his face as he exclaims "As the CEO of the company let me explain. First off the obvious: She is young, impressionable, super hot and talented. The best part is she's trusting and naive. With her as Kalos queen she will make us a lot of money, she'll be the best option for all of us long term. Aria was a good queen but her time has past. We need a younger queen that we can use to make more money, on a deal that will suit the board of directors more than Aria's. A deal that will make the Kalos queen more readily available for our convenience. A deal that makes us all a lot more money. It is what is best for Pokémon showcases moving forward."

Palermo's frown only grows bigger as she hears the cryptic way the CEO talks about Serena. She takes a step forwards and questions "What are your plans for her?"

The CEO smirks and replies nonchalantly "Like!I said, to make us a lot of money."

Palermo shakes her head and further questions "By what means do you plan on making this money?"

The CEO steps towards Palermo and snaps "It's nothing that you won't agree with. Now, we tasked you to find our next Kalos queen. If you don't like our reasoning then you know what will happen to you. Now, you can see yourself out of here. One more word of back chat and you know what I'll do."

Palermo clearly wants to continue this argument but can't for a clear fear of what the CEO will do. She reluctantly bows her head and replies in a low tone "Yes sir."

She turns on her heel and walks directly out the room. As she walks out the room, she thinks to herself "I need to find that contract, if they are planning on giving her the terms I think they'll give her, she can't compete tomorrow. If she wins she can forgot about her live and her friends. She'll practically be a slave to the board. I can not let that happen to her."

Unbeknownst to everyone, Gary hides just outside the room while recording the conversation. He puts a serious look on his face and whispers to himself "This all sounds a little fishy. I need to tell Ashy boy about this. I'll speak to him before the showcase and get his point of view on what their taking about. If it comes to it, we'll tear this whole place apart."

Gary shakes off those thoughts for now, deciding not to cause a fuss yet. He finds a vending machine to grab a drink before he makes his way back to the VIP box and retakes his seat.

The performers continue to walk out as Monsiuer Pierre shouts "Next introducing, performer Nini!"

Nini makes her way out the tunnel while waving to the crowd with her Farfetch'd and Smoochum alongside her. She makes her way up to the stage with a smile on her face and stands in her spot with her fellow performers.

Pierre raises the microphone back to his face as he shouts "Next introducing, the beautiful and talented. Performer Shauna from Lumiose city!"

The crowd roars loudly for the hometown girl as Shauna enters with Ivysaur and Floette by her side. She smiles to the crowd and waves as cheers continue to rain down.

Up in the VIP box, Trevor smiles and encourages "Go Shauna!"

Tierno pulls a pose and yells "Go Shauna, rock the house!"

Gary watches Shauna's entrance and gives a not bad face, before he whispers under his breath "I would."

Shauna makes her way to the stage and takes her place next to her fellow performers.

Pierre points towards the entrance way and announces "Now introducing, an early favourite for the competition. The one and only performer Miette!"

Miette steps out the steps out the tunnel with an intense look plastered all over her face. She walks towards the stage with purpose, almost like she's determined to win no matter what the cost.

In the VIP box, Clemont raises an eyebrow in suspicion and comments "Miette sure seems fired up."

Bonnie nods in agreement and adds "She doesn't look very happy to be here."

Gary shrugs and exclaims in a care free tone "Who cares, she's an ugly b**** anyway. She's got a face that looks like it's been hit by a bus."

Everyone looks at Gary with angry faces upon hearing his comment about Miette's looks.

The Pallet town native sweat drops a little at everyone's reaction and defends "I was just stating facts. You expect me to watch 100 girls walk on stage and not comment on looks at all?"

Meanwhile away from Gary's usual shenanigans, Serena sits in her dressing room with a determined look on her face. She has her 7 Pokémon out of their pokeballs surrounding her, as she prepares to give a little speech.

She has all 7 with her as it is allowed by showcase rules, but she can only use 6 at a time during one performance.

Serena has done up her usual hair and make up she does for showcases, and is wearing her usual performance dress. While she does have other's she could wear, being back in Kalos she decides to wear her original outfit.

She's also dressed her pokemon up in their usual performance gear as well, even if they aren't going to performing today it's nice to get a dress rehearsal in.

Serena takes a deep breath before she begins "Everyone, we've come along way to get this far. We have taken many bumps along the road and we've had to deal with failure before. But even when times have been tough, we've never given up. We've always given our best and we've become stronger together."

All Serena's pokemon look at their trainer with determined looks as they nod in agreement. Serena places a smile on her face as she pumps her fist and finishes "Now, let's go out there and take the first step towards winning this showcase!"

Serena's pokemon all let off loud cheers and pump a limb in the air in support of their trainer's statement, apart from Absol who places a conflicted look on her face.

Serena notices Absol's look and leans down to her level. She puts a hand on her for comfort as she smiles reassuringly and exclaims "Absol, I'm not going to make you perform if your not ready. But I want you to come out and at least experience the crowd. I think it'll be a good first step and we'll all be there to support you."

Absol nods it's head in agreement with her trainer as a producer opens the door slightly and informs "Serena, it's time to go."

Serena beams an excited smile at the producer and replies in a polite tone "Right, we're coming."

Serena exits her dressing room with all her pokemon and makes her way to the tunnel. She reaches the entrance to the stadium as her heart beats a little faster, ready to experience the atmosphere of being on stage at the Lumiose city stadium for the first time.

The crowd bubbles with anticipation as Pierre takes his microphone and announces in an enthusiastic manner "Now introducing our last performer! She was the runner up of last year's competition. From Vaniville town in the kalos region! She is the current champion of the Hoenn grand festival. She's performed all across the world in: Alola, Hoenn and Kalos! Dubbed by performance fans all across the world as the Kalos princess!"

Serena takes a deep breath to calm her nerves before she whispers under her breath "Let's do this!"

"Please welcome to the stage, performer Serena!"

Serena takes her cue and walks out the tunnel with all 7 Pokémon beside her as they all let off beaming smiles and wave to the crowd.

The crowd roar in approval of Serena as the stadium fills with cheers and applause. The cheer is easily the loudest of the day as the Kalos public show their appreciation for their self proclaimed princess. It's seems as though her journeys across Hoenn and Alola has done no harm to her reputation. The people of Kalos still adore Serena, and her popularity is at an all time high.

Serena makes her way to the stage, while taking in the crowd's reaction. In all her years of performing she's never ever been given a greeting like this. Everyone is cheering for her and that support means a lot to her. She now knows how Ash feels when he walks out for a league match, and she must admit, the feeling of adrenaline is pretty awesome.

She makes her way onto the stage and stands in her spot with her fellow performers. Her and her pokemon look into the crowd with beaming smiles and curtsy in appreciation as the cheers practically deafen.

As Serena gazes around at her surroundings, she notices a few of her fellow performers looking at her with hostile looks, as she finds herself in the same situation Ash was in during the Alola league.

When he made his way to the battlefield, everyone of the competitors glared at him. Now she finds herself in that exact same position.

Serena just smirks at all those staring her down, giving them a look that screams "Bring it on." She decides to follow her boyfriend's handling of that situation further as she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. He takes her fist and places it on her heart for a second, copying Ash's hearts as one sign. She takes a second to hold the pose before she opens her eyes and throws a fist into the air, much to the crowd's amusement.

Meanwhile, Ash watches on the monitor backstage with a beaming smile on his face, feeling so proud as he watches Serena take the stage.

He turns his head towards his first Pokémon and exclaims "They look ready, don't you think buddy?"

Pikachu nods in agreement with his trainer and raises a fist in the air as he shouts "Pika pika!"

In the VIP box, Bonnie squeals a little as she screams enthusiastically "I missed seeing Serena and her Pokémon in their performance gear! They all look so beautiful!"

Grace laughs a little at the young girl's reaction as she comments "Yeah she does, and that's because I picked the dress."

Clemont gazes down at Serena and exclaims "Well, she certainly seems ready."

Gary nods in agreement and adds with a knowing smile on his face "She's certainly Ashy boys girl alright."

Back on stage, Monsieur Pierre places the microphone to his lips as the crowd's cheers begin to into silence. The lights dim and black out as he announces enthusiastically "Now it's finally time! Introducing our beautiful and talented Kalos queen. The one and only, Aria!"

A bright spotlight shines down on the walkway as Aria steps out the tunnel with a beaming smile on her face. The crowd go ballistic upon seeing the arrival of their Kalos queen as loud cheers fill up the stadium.

Aria makes her way to the stage with a smile on her face as she waves to her adoring public. She climbs on stage and walks straight past the challengers to her throne, before approaching Pierre. The host bows a little in front of her before he hands the microphone off to her.

The crowd silences as the queen take the stage and address her fans. She smiles as she exclaims "Thank you all for your warm welcome. As your Kalos queen, it's a pleasure to be her. I can't wait to watch these performers behind me compete for the chance to face me for my tittle. I've had the honour of sharing a stage with a few of you before, and I can't wait to see what you've all got in store for us this time!"

She winks to Serena as she finishes her statement. Serena notices the wink and places a a competitive smirk on her face.

The crowd applauds as Aria hands the microphone back to Pierre. The pokemon showcase host bows a little to the queen before he announces "Thank you Kalos queen for your words of support for our performers. Now, can I ask every performer to make their way off the stage and make their way to the edge of the arena. As instructed to you earlier in your dressing rooms.

All the performers get off stage and stand around the edge off the stadium, creating a massive circle around stage.

Pierre sees everyone in place and click his fingers as he shouts "Now that the introductions are complete, we are ready for the exhibition Pokémon battle! Now, va la!"

Suddenly the stage lowers back into the ground as the usual pokemon league battlefield rises back up, ready for the upcoming battle.

The crowd cheer at the sudden change and in anticipation of the battle as Pierre finishes "Now, I will hand you over to our announcer and commentator for this match. Until tomorrow pokemon showcase lovers, Au revior!

The crowd cheers for Pierre as he leaves the arena. The commentator soon takes over and begins "Thank you Monsiuer Pierre for the kind introduction. Now, please let me begin by welcoming the first competitor for today's one on match. Please welcome the world famous actor and, the former champion of the kalos region. The one and only Diantha!"

The crowd roars as Diantha steps out to a thunderous applause. It's no secret that Diantha is easily one of the most popular figures in the world. Not only is she a former champion but a world famous actor too. She's never been known as the strongest champion by fans when she still held that tittle, but she was always ranked as the most famous.

While she may no longer be a champion, there is no doubt she is still a seriously strong trainer. At her current stage of her career she probably isn't the strongest she's ever been. Since losing her tittle training has become less as her popularity rises through her movie career.

However, that doesn't mean today won't be a tough challenge for Ash. In fact there's a lot on the line for him today.

In the eyes of the skeptics, he still needs to prove himself as a capable champion. Winning the Alola league was impressive for sure, but it gave him the tittle of champion without facing an elite 4 or dethroning a current champion.

While Diantha may not be as good as she once was, she still is a former champion. For some it won't prove Ash's standing in their rankings amongst the best trainer's in the world. But for others it'll go a long way to proving Ash is the real deal.

Diantha continues to make her way towards the battlefield as the cheers rain down. She makes her way towards the battlefield and takes her spot while smiling and waving to the crowd.

Meanwhile, Ash stands at the edge of the tunnel and inhales a deep breath. He calms himself a little before a smile etches onto his face. The feeling of entering the battlefield for the first time since the Alola league consumes his body as the adrenaline begins to kick in.

He turns to his left shoulder and exclaims "I'll never not miss this feeling, right buddy?"

Pikachu nods in agreement and replies "Pika, pika."

Diantha completes her walk towards the battlefield as she stands and awaits her opponent. The crowd silences for a second as the announcer shouts "Now introducing, the Alola champion and the hero of Kalos! He was the trainer who saved the world from Team Rainbow Rocket! The Mewtwo slayer himself! Please welcome, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"

Ash takes one more breath as he hears his name being called before he steps out the tunnel with a confident smile on his face. The crowd instantly erupts into deafening cheers as the noise floods the arena. The fans in the crowd all show their appreciation for the raven haired trainer as they begin to chant "Ash, Ash, Ash, Ash, Ash!"

Ash smirks and looks around at the crowd, honestly a little shocked by such a positive reception for him. He knew he was popular in Kalos but it look like he's got more fans than even Diantha.

He takes everything in as he slowly makes his way towards the battlefield.

In the VIP box, Bonnie beams a smile and shouts "Go Ash!"

Clemont looks at Ash's demeanour as he adjusts his glasses and exclaims "He certainly seems confident, he must have a good game plan."

Trevor frowns a little as he questions "Can he really beat Diantha?"

Tierno shakes his head and replies "I don't know, she's so tough. I don't think any other trainer could have beat her except Alain."

Bonnie frowns at the statement and snaps "Are two you serious? Ash would have beat Diantha with Greninja years ago if they had full control over their form! She was lucky!"

Clemont nods in agreement and adds in a much calmer tone "That is true, the battle certainly was going in their favour before they collapsed."

Gary has a a semi serious look on his face as he exclaims "Yeah, but Ashy boy doesn't have his ace Greninja today. He'll have to adapt to win."

Grace beams a smile as she watches her daughter's boyfriend enter the stadium. She clasps her hands together and positively announces "Well, I for one am very happy just to be here. Win or lose, I've never seen a battle like this live before. Go Ash!"

Ash keeps making his way towards the battlefield with a confident smile on his face. He gazes around at the performers and easily spots Serena in the middle off the circle surrounding the battlefield.

She is joining in with the Ash chants with a big beaming proud smile on her face. Ash smiles back at his girlfriend's support and gives her a playful wink.

Serena giggles at her boyfriend's actions as she suddenly spots that she's on the big screen with all the cameras focusing in on her. She decides to take advantage of the situation as she puts her hand to her lips and plants a kiss on it before throwing it towards Ash.

The raven haired trainer spots the kiss from a mile away and reaches out. He catches the kiss easily before he slaps it on lips, causing Serena to blush slightly as the crowd roars in approval.

The announcer chuckles a little and jokes "Well, it looks like performer Serena has a present for Ash before his battle."

Ash gives his girlfriend one last nod of confidence before he steps onto the battlefield, standing in the opposite box to Diantha.

The former Kalos champion rolls her eyes slightly and jokes "Took you long enough, I hope your not more focused on the dramatics than actually battling. If you are then you may as well turn around and go home now."

Ash smirks at Diantha's statement, missing the back and forth trainer's go through before and during a battle. He shakes his head and replies in a confident tone "You don't need to worry about us, we're always focused."

The two are interrupted as the referee steps into the referee's box and exclaims "This will be a one on one battle between the Alola champion Ash, and the former Kalos champion Diantha. No substitutions are allowed on either side. The battle ends when one sides Pokémon are unable to battle. Z moves are band via Kalos league rules, but mega evolution is allowed. Trainer's, please send out your Pokémon."

Diantha takes a pokeball out of her purse and holds it in her hand. She elegantly throws it forward as she shouts "Go, Gardevior!"

The embrace pokemon gracefully exits her Pokéball and lands on the battlefield as the crowd let off a small cheer upon seeing Diantha's ace pokemon.

The announcer lets the cheers die down before he exclaims "Diantha has chosen her ace Gardevior! Now the question remains, Who will Ash pick in response? just a reminder, it was confirmed by the pokemon league board that Greninja will not be battling. So don't expect to see the special transformation, known as the bond phenomenon today folks. Does ash have another Pokémon that can stand up to a champion's level? I guess we are about to find out!"

Ash takes a Pokéball off his belt and holds it up to his face. He takes a deep breath before he smiles and whispers "It's been too long old friend, it's time to make people remember just how strong you are."

Ash takes the pokeball and throws it forward as he shouts for the first time in years "Infernape I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Infernape emerges. He takes his usual stance before he looks over at his opponent and yells "Infernape!"

Some in the crowd look a little confused by Ash's choice while hardcore fans cheer with excitement upon seeing the fire type starter from Sinnoh.

The commentator clears up some confusion as he announces "Well, what a surprise we have here. Ash has chosen his Infernape! It's been 4 years since we last saw him in action during the Sinnoh league quarter finals. It'll be interesting to see how this cult hero stacks up against Diantha and her Gardevior!"

In the VIP box, Bonnie frowns a little as she exclaims "I didn't know ash had an Infernape."

Clemont chuckles a little as he adds "Once again, Ash never ceases to amaze me."

Tierno tilts head in confusion as he questions "What's an Infernape?" He scans it with his Pokédex to get the details while Gary wonders why the hell he's sat with these idiots.

Trevor snaps a picture and exclaims in an excited tone "Look, the flame on his head is slightly bigger than most Infernape's! That's a rare one right there!"

Gary shakes his head and cryptically replies "He's rare alright, but not for that reason dweeb."

On the outskirts of the battlefield, Serena smiles at Ash's choice and thinks to herself "Infernape's been waiting a long time for his chance to battle again. He was so strong in training too, really pushing to show his strength. I think Ash made a great choice!"

In the Sinnoh region, Paul watches on a tv in Reggie's house. He smiles slightly, looking down at the floor as he whispers under his breath "Go get them Infernape."

On the battlefield, Ash pumps his fist and questions in an upbeat tone "You ready to go Infernape."

Infernape looks back and pumps a fist as he shouts in a positive tone "Fernape!"

The referee looks at both trainer's and questions "Are both trainer's ready!"

Ash and Diantha both nod in approval. The referee spots this and lowers his flag as he shouts "Then let the battle begin!"

Ash and Diantha lock eyes for a few seconds as they size each other up before they make a move. Ash is the first one to break as he pumps his fist and shouts "Use Mach punch!"

Infernape yells "Infernape!" As his fist glows white with aura before he charges in, with his fist clocked back, towards Gardevior.

Diantha watches the fire type starter approaching before she locks eyes with Gardevior. They nod to each other in understanding as Infernape swings his fist forward. Suddenly, Gardevior vanishes into thin air before reappearing a few meters away from the fire type stater as Infernape swings his fist at thin air.

Upon missing his target, Infernape looks around confused as he wonders how the hell Gardevior could move that fast.

Ash puts a serious look on his face as he shouts "Infernape, use mach punch back to back! Don't give them a second to breath!"

Infernape obliges with his trainer's call as he clocks back another glowing fist before charging towards Gardevior.

He chases Gardevior all around the battlefield with mach punch as Gardevior continuously teleports away, right before Infernape can land a hit, only causing to frustrate the fire type monkey while also testing his stamina.

After about another 10 dodges as Infernape constantly punches air, Ash gives in and shouts "Infernape, back off."

Infernape nods and leaps back, standing in front of Ash while breathing a little heavy from constantly pressing the attack.

Diantha shakes her head a little and exclaims with a hint of annoyance in her tone "Don't disappoint me Ash, your Infernape isn't Greninja. He's not going to out speed my Gardevior's teleports and land hits that way. You want to win then you need to use the Pokémon in front of you. Not the one that's in your head."

Ash smirks a little at Diantha's point. While she is right that Ash needs to stop trying to win with speed when that's clearly not the best way to go about things here. She's also playing right into his long term game plan as she tests Infernape's endurance.

He shakes his head and replies in a confident tone "Your right about that, but you haven't seen anything yet. Infernape is still just getting warmed up."

Diantha puts on a serious stone cold look as she exclaims "Enough talk, Gardevior use shadow ball."

Gardevior nods as she cups her hands together and forms a ball of ghostly purple aura before throwing it towards her opponent.

Ash places a serious look on his face as he yells "Infernape dodge it!"

Infernape obliges as he crouches down before he leaps into the air, jumping directly over the shadow ball. Ash pumps his fist and orders with a confident grin "Now use flamethrower!" Infernape inhales a deep breath before exhaling a powerful beam of orange flames towards Gardevior.

Diantha shakes her head and exclaims "Counter with moonblast." The embrace pokemon cups her hands together before she forms a pink ball of mist in her hands. She takes said ball and throws it towards Infernape. The two attacks collide for a second before they both give way, causing a huge explosion that fills the battlefield with smoke.

The crowd roars at the battle in front of them as the commentator screams "What a powerful explosion that was! This battle's starting to really heat up!"

The smoke hangs in the air for a few seconds before it slowly starts to dissipate. Once the smoke finally settles, Gardevior is stood in front of her trainer with no visible injuries. However on the other side, Infernape is no where to be seen.

In the VIP box, Bonnie frowns a little as she questions "Where'd Infernape go?"

Trevor shrugs his shoulders as he adds "It beats me."

The crowd continue to murmur in confusion as the commentator shouts "Where's Infernape? Has Ash forfeited the battle? He must have recalled his pokemon, where else could he be?"

A small smirk slowly rises onto Ash's face amongst the confusion as he yells "Now Infernape, use dig!"

Infernape let's off a loud cry as the ground underneath Gardevior starts to crack. Suddenly the fire type starter springs up and smacks straight into Gardevior with an uppercut, causing the former champion's ace to let off a cry of pain before falling back through the air.

Diantha gasps in shock as she mutters "What?"

Ash's smirk only grows bigger as he yells "Now use mach punch!" Infernape nods as he springs up into the air with a glowing white fist clocked back, before slamming it straight into Gardevior's face. The fairy type Pokémon let's off a cry of pain as she falls back through the air before landing on her feet, just in front of her trainer with a few marks and bruises on her body.

The crowd roars in approval of Ash's skill as the commentator screams "Wow what a move by the Alola champion! Ash must have ordered Infernape to use dig while under the cover of smoke, an excellent strategy in deed!"

In the VIP box, Bonnie squeals a little before she screams "Infernape your so cool!"

Clemont analysis the situation as he exclaims "Ash set up that move up perfectly. He used the smoke from the previous clash to perfectly execute that dig attack."

On the side of the battlefield, Serena places a proud smile on her face as she shouts "Great job Infernape! Come on Ash, you can win this!"

Her fellow performers and showcase officials look at her and scowl a little. She clearly didn't get the memo in the briefing to stay quite and remain neutral during the battle.

Serena looks around at the scowling faces and feels an anger rise up towards them. She folds her arms and snaps "What!? That's my boyfriend! I'm not going to just pretend that I don't care! I'm not going to do what you want and just stay quiet!"

Serena's pokemon all let off loud cheers in approval of her trainer's statement, while Absol charges up a dark pulse and gives the officials a look that screams "don't f*** with us."

The officials all sigh in disappointment as one questions "What can we do?"

Serena smirks a little and exclaims "There's nothing you can do. No matter what you say, I'll never stop cheering for Ash!"

Back to the battle, Ash looks over at his opponent and remarks in a confident tone "So Diantha, you disappointed now?"

Diantha smiles a little and replies "That's more like it, that's the type of levels I expect from a champion."

Ash smiles a little at the compliment as he decides that's it's time for the real battle to begin. He pumps his fist and exclaims "I think it's time we kicked this up a notch, me and Infernape want to battle you at your strongest!"

Diantha smiles at Ash's usual exuberance and replies "Very well then."

The crowd waits in anticipation as she moves her hand towards her keystone and places two fingers on it before she shouts "Gardevior, strength and beauty combined. Mega evolve!"

A massive light shines from Diantha's keystone and connects with Gardevior's mega stone. Soon the psychic type Pokémon is surrounded by white light as her body begins to change. Suddenly the white light disappears as the mega evolution symbol flashes. Gardevior let's off an elegant cry as she completes her transformation into Mega Gardevior.

The crowd cheers as Ash smirks at the sight in front of him. He looks Diantha in the eye and exclaims "That's more like it."

Diantha puts a serious look on her face as she states "Now, you'll see our true power. Gardevior use shadow ball!" Mega Gardevior nods as she cups her hands together and forms a purple ball of ghostly aura, before sending it towards her opponent.

Ash shakes his head and shouts "Infernape, knock it back with mach punch!" Infernape nods in agreement with his trainer before he springs forward with a glowing white fist clocked back. He slams his fist straight into the shadow ball, sending it back the way it came as it lands harmlessly off the battlefield.

Ash decides to stay on the offensive as he commands "Now use flamethrower!" Infernape inhales a deep breath before exhaling a powerful beam of flames towards his opponent.

Diantha watches the incoming flames and smirks a little as she counters "Turn the flames on them, use psychic!"

Gardevior nods her head in agreement as a blue glow shines in her eyes. Suddenly that same glow surrounds the incoming flames, as she uses her psychic powers to turn the oncoming flamethrower back on Infernape.

Ash gasps a little in shock atthe sheer psychic powers mega Gardevior poses before he reacts quickly and shouts "Quick Infernape, use dig."

Infernape sees the oncoming flamethrower and quickly burrows underground. Once underground, Infernape digs his way over to hit Gardevior. However, as Infernape is about to strike, Diantha hatches her plan.

She smirks a little as she commands "Now Gardevior, use psychic on the battlefield."

Gardevior closes her eyes and focuses in her psychic powers as the battlefield shades over with a light blue glow. Suddenly she moves her hands up in the air as Infernape lets of a surprised cry as he's caught up in Gardevior's psychic grip. She lifts the fire type starter up out the ground and into the air, before throwing him directly into the battlefield below.

Infernape let's off a cry of pain as he lands hard on the ground, skidding back towards his trainer.
Ash grits his teeth in worry and asks "Infernape, are you okay?"

Infernape struggles back to his feet and gives Ash a nod, symbolising he's still ready to go.

Diantha quickly continues her attack as she shouts "Now use moonblast!" Gardevior cups her hands together as she forms a ball of pink mist before throwing it towards Infernape.

Ash puts on a serious look and quickly counters "Quick Infernape, use flamethrower!" Infernape nods and inhales a deep breath before firing off a powerful beam of flames. The two attacks clash together for a second before they cause an explosion that fills up the battlefield.

Ash takes advantage of the smoke first as he shouts "Now use dig, non stop. Keep popping out all over the battlefield!"

Infernape nods and burrows underground before re emerging a few meters to his left. He repeats the process as he burrows underground before popping back up again and again, creating small holes all over the battlefield. This continues for a few minutes as the constant movement makes it difficult for Diantha and Gardevior to nail down a location for the fire type monkey.

In the VIP box, Tierno tilts his head in confusion and questions "What's Ash up to?"

Grace frowns a little as she exclaims "This idea seems a little far fetched."

Gary smirks a little as he cryptically replies "Don't worry, Ashy boy's plan will become clear very soon."

Back on the battlefield, Infernape has created small craters all over the battlefield field from using dig and re-emerging in quick succession. Ash decides that now is the time to reveal his plan as he shouts "Now Infernape, use flamethrower!"

Infernape nods as he takes a deep breath while burrowing underground. He suddenly springs up from one the many holes around the battlefield, just to the left of Gardevior. He exhales his breath as he fires off a powerful flamethrower that slams straight into mega Gardevior, catching her by surprise. The fairy type Pokémon cries out in pain from the intense flames and skids back towards her trainer, as Infernape quickly jumps back underground.

The crowd roars in approval as the commentator shouts "What a unique strategy from Ash, he's turned the entire battlefield into a game of whack a mole!"

Diantha shakes her head at Ash's tactics as she orders in a serious tone "Force them back up, Gardevior use moonblast on the battlefield continuously."

Gardevior nods as she cups her hands together, forming multiple small pink balls of mist in her hands. She throws them all at the ground in unison, causing the ground to shake in what can only be described as a pseudo earthquake.

The sudden shaking of the ground makes Infernape cry out in pain. Ash grits his teeth and decides to do something a little reckless. He puts a serious look on his face as he shouts "Hang in there Infernape and use flare blitz!"

Infernape hears his trainer's call and doesn't hesitate to follow his orders. He quickly surrounds himself in a jet of flames while still underground. He screams at the top of the lungs "INFERNAPE!" As he pushes against the ground above. He quickly breaks through and slams straight into Gardevior with with a fire encasing his body. Gardevior flies back through the air while crying out in pain before landing in front of her trainer with a thud.

Meanwhile, Infernape takes a step back towards his trainer as recoil damage drops him down to one knee. The two Pokémon slowly rise back up to their feet while sharing a set of competitive grins as the crowd roars in approval of the battle they are witnessing.

Diantha looks directly at her opponent as she exclaims in a proud tone "This is the battle I expecting from you."

Ash nods in agreement with the former Kalos champion and replies in a modest tone "Me too Diantha, it's been a while since me and Infernape have been challenged like this. Battle's like this are exactly what we train for. Your one of the best I've ever shared a battlefield with."

Diantha smiles at the young champion's words as she exclaims with respect in her tone "Thank you Ash, we certainly feel the same way. You are one of the best trainer's I've ever had the pleasure of facing. However as fun as this has been, we're sadly coming to the end."

Ash smirks a little as he nods in agreement and replies in a knowing tone "I couldn't agree more."

He puts a serious look on his face as he extends his hand forward and yells "Infernape, use flamethrower!"

Infernape inhales a deep breath before he exhales a power beam of flames towards Gardevior.

Diantha sees the attack coming and locks eyes with her Gardevior, giving her a subtle nod. Suddenly, the mega evolved Pokémon vanishes into thin air as the flamethrower harmlessly smacks into the battlefield. A few seconds later, Gardevior reappears right behind Infernape as Diantha shouts "Now, shadow ball!" Gardevior cups her hands together and quickly forms a ball of ghostly aura before throwing it towards her opponent.

Ash gasps in shock a little as he warns "Infernape  watch out!" Infernape doesn't have time to react as the shadow ball smacks him straight in the back. The fire type starter lets of a cry of pain as he flip backwards before landing on his feet with bruises covering his body.

Ash shakes his head in frustration as he orders "Quick use mach punch!" Infernape nods before he rushes towards Gardevior with a white glowing fist clocked back.

Diantha watches the attack as a small smirk rises up on her face. She commands in a very calm tone "Gardevior, catch it with psychic."

Gardevior follows her trainer's command as a small glint of blue psychic energy shines in her eyes. Suddenly that same blue glow surrounds Infernape and catches him mid punch, as his fist practically grazes her chin."

Gardevior uses her psychic powers to take control of her opponent. She raises Infernape high up in the air before she slams him into the ground. She repeats the process as she slams the fire type starter all around the battlefield, while he cries out in constant pain from the super effective attack.

Ash grits his teeth as he watches Infernape take on even more punishment. He places a serious look on his face as he shouts "Hang on in there Infernape!"

After a few more slams, Gardevior throws Infernape away as he lands with a thud in front of his trainer, with his face down towards the ground. The battle looks all but over as Infernape lays on the ground with no movement.

The crowd roars in appreciation for Diantha's
skill as the commentator screams "Infernape is down! It looks like this battle is all but over folks!"

In the VIP box, Bonnie places a frown on her face as she mutters "Poor Infernape."

Clemont looks down with a serious look on his face as he exclaims "They battled hard, but in the end Gardevior was just too strong."

Trevor looks on in amazement as he comments "How do you even counter the power of mega evolution?"

Gary sits there with a small smirk on his face as he waits for their minds to be blown.

In Pallet town, Delia and Professor Oak watch with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab. They all watch with intense looks on their faces as they wait to see the outcome of Gardevior's assault.

The Alola team seemingly all think this is over and done with already. Lycanroc in particular looks a little disappointed, having heard such powerful stories about the fire type starter.

The Sinnoh team however, all watch on with the most intense looks. All praying the fire type starter can pull through.

At the side off the battlefield, Serena's face is one of pure worry as she begins to feel herself becoming crestfallen at her boyfriend's potential defeat.

She shakes off that thought for now as she places a determined look on her face and she shouts in encouragement "Come on Ash, you can do this! The battle isn't over yet! Infernape you can still win this! Stand up, please! You both can do this!"

In the Sinnoh region, Paul watches intently as he grits his teeth and whispers under his breath "Come on Infernape, get up and show them who's boss old friend."

Back on the battlefield, the referee looks at Infernape closely and sees no signs that he can continue on. He slowly raises his flag up and announces "Infernape is unable to...."

"INFERNAPE!!!!!!!!."

Suddenly, Infernape punches the ground and raises his head up a little as a bright fire burns deep in his eyes.

He looks across at his opponent to see Diantha and Gardevior standing tall. Diantha look across at the struggling pokemon and comments "This battle is over, you can't hope to match the power of mega Gardevior. You've done well to get this far but it is time to end this before someone gets hurt. Infernape has nothing more left to prove Ash. He fought well and should be proud. But there is no need to risk further injury."

Infernape hears Diantha's words as the fire in his eyes only burns brighter. He does have something to prove in his eyes. All his life he was looked down upon, seen as weak at times. That was until Ash took him in. He's waited 4 years to get back on the battlefield, training hard to make sure he's at the level his trainer needs to win important battles for him. Now that he's here, he's not about to quit now.

Infernape's rage builds a little more as his eyes flash a deep shade of red.

Ash smirks as he sees Infernape's eyes. He looks up at his opponent and replies in a confident tone "That's where your wrong."

Diantha takes a step back in shock as Infernape slowly rises back up to his feet, growling in anger at Diantha for questioning his strength. He gets back to his feet and looks into Ash's eyes. He looks at his trainer with a determined look on his face while conveying his desire to finish this.

Ash nods in agreement with his fire type starter as he whispers "It's time to go all out."

He pumps his fist and shouts in a confident tone "Now Infernape, it's time to show everyone just how strong you are!"

"INFERRRRRNAAAAAPPPPPEEE!!!!!"

Infernape screams as the fire on his mane shoots up into sky and his eyes glow a bright red. The flames practically fly out of the stadium and can be seen for miles around, as a massive fiery vortex burns the sky.

The crowd roars in approval as Infernape stands incased in a red aura, as the fire around him rages and his eyes turn a dark shade of red.

Diantha gasps in shock and takes a step back as she exclaims "What the hell is that!?"

In the VIP box, Grace has a similar reaction as she questions "What did Infernape just do?"

Clemont's eyes widen in shock as he replies "I have no idea. I've never seen anything like it!"

Gary smirks and chuckles a little before he explains "That's Infernape's blaze ability. Being pushed to his limits has brought out his greatest strength. Infernape is in an extremely powered up state but also at very low hp. One wrong move and this battle will be over for either side.

Trevor raises his eyebrow as he questions "That's blaze? Why's it so powerful for Infernape?"

Gary shrugs his shoulders and responds "That's a mystery that we may never know, but it's Ash's ace up his sleeve when it comes to Infernape."

Around the battlefield, Serena squeals a little at how cool Ash and Infernape are. She's heard stories of his power and seen him in action a few times now. But she never knew we could do something like that!

She clutches her ribbon and looks at her boyfriend with a proud smile. Her eyes brim with determination and admiration as she shouts "You can do it Ash!"

Ash hears girlfriend's encouragement as a warm feeling rises up in his stomach. A smile plasters his face for a second as he gazes over to her and gives her a nod which screams "I won't let you down."

He turns back towards the battlefield and shouts "You heard her Infernape! We can do this, let's give it everything we've got!"

Infernape glares at his opponent in front of him and exclaims in agreement with his trainer "Infernape!"

Diantha lets off a small smile as she remarks "Very impressive Ash, once again you manage to shock me. However, we're not going to defeated by your tricks."

The former champion extends her hand out and exclaims "Gardevior use shadow ball!" Gardevior cups her hands together before firing off a purple ball of ghostly aura towards her opponent.

Ash shakes his head and orders "Infernape, dodge it." Infernape listens to his trainer's call as he leaps up into the air, jumping over the incoming shadow ball before landing back on the ground.

Ash pumps his fist and shouts "Now use flamethrower!" Infernape inhales a deep breath as the flames on his mane intensify. He gathers up all his strength before he exhales one mighty powerful flamethrower that quickly travels towards Gardevior.

Diantha's eyes widen a little at the sight of the sudden flamethrower before she counters "Quick use psychic!" Gardevior nods as a blue glow forms in her eyes before that same glow coats the flames travelling towards her.

The two clash for a moment with neither attack showing any signs of faulting. Infernape sees the stalemate and cries out "INFERNAPE," as the flames only grow in size.

The flames suddenly break through the psychic defence and travel at fast speeds towards Gardevior. The attack slams straight into the mega pokemon as Gardevior stumbles back before landing on her feet, with a few burn marks on her body.

Ash quickly follows up the attack as he shouts "Now use mach punch!" Infernape quickly rushes in with a glowing white fist clocked back. He slams a right hand straight into Gardevior's chin, forcing the mega pokemon to cry out in further pain and further stumble back towards her trainer.

The crowd roars as both Pokémon stand across from each other with marks and bruises covering their bodies, as they both pant a little heavy from the exhausting battle.

Both trainers lock eyes as they both realise that one final strike will be enough to finish this. They both let off little smirks as they exclaim at the same time "Let's wrap this up!"

Ash pumps his fist and yells with determination in his tone "Use flare blitz!" Infernape nods as he cloaks himself in a jet of furious flames, boosted by his blaze ability, before lunging towards Gardevior.

Diantha extends her arm forward in an elegant manner before she commands "Use moonblast."Gardevior cups her hands together and forms a pink ball of mist in front of her. She pushes her hands forward and extends out the pink ball as Infernape reaches his target.

The two attack clash against each other and push each other back, with neither willing to back down. The two continue to push against each other as the two Pokémon lock eyes and give each other a glare. Eventually it all becomes too much as the two push back as hard as they can, causing a huge explosion that fills the whole stadium with red and pink smoke.

The whole stadium gasps at the sight as the commentators screams "What an explosion! Can either of these two Pokémon get up from that!?"

The two trainer's lock eyes with intense stares as they await the result of the almighty collision.

After a few minutes, the smoke clears as both Pokémon come into view, stood in front of
their trainer's.

The two continue to lock eyes as the bruises and marks on their bodies only increase, both not willing to give in.

Suddenly, Infernape takes recoil damage and let's off a cry of pain. His legs buckle as he drops to his knees before starting to fall forward face first.

Everyone in the stadium gasps as they expect Infernape to fall. However, just before he completely loses his balance. Infernape places a fist on the floor to steady himself. He brings his head up and looks dead ahead as he smirks knowingly at Gardevior.

Suddenly, Gardevior let's off a cry of pain before she loses her balance and falls backwards. She lands with a small thud as she lays on her back. Suddenly, she reverts back into her regular form as swirls appear in her eyes.

The referee takes a closer look before he announces "Gardevior is unable to battle, Infernape is the winner! That means the match goes to the Alola champion, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"

The crowd lets off a massive roar of approval at Ash's declaration of victory, as the commentator shouts in an enthusiastic tone "Ash has done it! What a display of courage from Infernape!"

Ash pumps his in victory and shouts "Great job Infernape!"

Infernape smiles a little at his trainer's words before he falls backwards, laying up looking at stadium lights while barely staying conscious after such an intense back and forth battle.

In the VIP box, Bonnie squeals a little before she screams "Ash and Infernape did it! They beat Diantha!"

Clemont blinks a few times as he mutters in astonishment "I'm amazed."

Tierno raises an eyebrow as he questions "Why's that Clemont?"

Clemont lifts his glasses up a little as he admits "I never thought Ash could actually beat Diantha without Greninja. Who knew he had such powerful Pokémon in reserve. He is more than a one Pokémon trainer."

Gary smirks a little at Clemont's statement before he exclaims "Greninja may be the strongest, and as I like to call him the ace of aces. But Ash has plenty of other strong Pokémon who he can also rely on. I think this battle today will make him realise that."

Grace looks down at the battlefield and remarks in an enthusiastic tone "Well I for one am very proud of him. My daughter has such a cool boyfriend."

In the Sinnoh region, Paul smirks a little before turns off the tv and walks towards the front door of the house. He opens the door and steps outside with his hands in his pockets. He looks down at his feet as a whispers to himself "That's the power my old friend, the power that I could not bring out. I'll see you on that battlefield again one day."

Back on the battlefield, Ash walks up to Infernape and offers him and hand up. Infernape takes his trainer's hand as he helps him up to his feet. Infernape uses Ash for support while being a little shaky on his feet.

Ash smiles at the fire type starter before he exclaims in a sincere tone "Infernape, you were awesome. I'm sorry I took so long to give you the chance to battle again. But I now know you and the others at the lab are ready. Your all ready to help me become a Pokémon master! I'm going need you all if I'm going to win every Pokémon league and become the Pokémon master! We've still got some tough battles ahead, but you've showed me that I've got the perfect friends to help me along the way."

Infernape stands on his own, steadying himself before he pumps a fist in the air and shouts enthusiastically "Infernape!"

Ash smiles at Infernape's gesture and exclaims "Your right Infernape, we're all one big team. When one of us wins we all win."

The two lock eyes and nod in understanding before they both fist bump. Ash smiles at Infernape, proud of his efforts in today's battle before he returns him to his pokeball to get some rest.

Ash smiles at the pokeball for a second before he clips it onto his belt and goes to walk towards Diantha.

However, as he heads towards the former champions. He hears the pattering of footsteps behind him and a familiar angelic voice shout "ASH!!!"

He turns his head to see Serena running towards him with security looking on, as they realise they can't stop her from getting to her man.

Ash smiles as Serena runs towards him as fast as she can before practically leaping into Ash's arms. Ash catches her as expected, and holds her a little off the ground as she gives him a bone crunching hug.

Serena looks up at her boyfriend with a proud beaming smile on her face as she shouts "Ash! You and infernape were amazing! I'm so proud of you both! You were so great out there!"

Ash smiles, feeling his heart warm at his girlfriend's praise. He looks her in the eyes and humbly replies with a loving gaze "Thanks Serena, and thank you for what you said last night. You were the one who convinced me to give Infernape a chance. Now I know him, and the rest are all ready for the indigo league. If it wasn't for you, I may never have had the awesome battle I had today.

Serena feels her heart dancing at Ash's words. She smirks a little as she whispers "That's what I'm here for. Now, let me give you your reward for winning."

The two lock eyes and forget completely about the world around them. Serena wraps her arms around Ash's neck while Ash places his around her slim hips. The two lean forward in unison as their lips drift towards each other before combining together in a passionate kiss.

The crowd roars in approval of the celebrity couple as the two of them lose themselves in the moment and continue their battle of lips.

In the VIP box, little broken hearts appear in Tierno's eyes as he moans "Why can't be I be Ash! Why can't she love me!?"

Gary shakes is head at the idiot sat next to him and replies in harsh tone "Maybe because your a loser who thinks they can win battles by dancing. News flash for ya, you can't. Plus my moves are better than your's Ice cream boy, and that's just when I'm sober. Now maybe you should move on and find someone more on your level before Ashy boy kicks your teeth in."

Tierno shivers a little at Gary's words as he moves down a seat to get further away from him.

Meanwhile, Bonnie squeals and screams "EEEEEE they are so cute!!"

Clemont's face is one of panic as he shouts "Don't they know this is broadcast live around the world!"

Grace chuckles a little as she replies "Of course they do, but those two can't hide their love for each other. They are are just so perfect."

Back on the battlefield, Ash and Serena break after around 30 seconds as they both catch their breath.

Ash catches his breath first and questions with a small smirk on his face "You really couldn't wait could you?"

Serena blushes a little at the fact she's just kissed Ash in front of millions of people, but soon shakes it off. She winks at her boyfriend and replies with a small giggle "No, you made me wait long enough!"

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's reasoning and exclaims "Well, I can't argue with that one."

They both look into each other's eyes for a second as Ash takes a loving sigh before he whispers "I love you Serena."

Serena smiles brightly at Ash's words before she whispers back "I love you too Ash."

They both look at the other's lips and feel the urge to taste each other again. They slowly lean in as their lips both prepare to go back on the attack. However, mere inches away from connecting.

"Ahem!"

Diantha fake coughs, causing the couple to break apart from shock and turn towards the famous champion. She folds her arms and looks at the two with a look that screams "Are you serious"

Ash's face is a little red with embarrassment as he scratches the back of his head nervously and apologises "Oh, sorry Diantha."

Diantha takes a sigh before she shakes her head and questions "Serena, what happened to staying non bias?"

Serena quickly regains her composure as she bows apologetically and replies "I'm sorry miss Diantha, but I'm not going to pretend I'm someone I'm not. It's a performer's job to express themselves. If I hid my feelings from Ash to stay neutral, then I'd feel like I was cheating my fans and myself."

Diantha shakes her head a little at Serena's statement and smiles as she exclaims "I'm joking Serena, don't worry. If you were staying neutral then I think it would have been the wrong thing to do. I would have done the exact same thing in your situation."

Serena takes a sigh of relief as she takes a step back to allow the two competitors to speak.

Ash takes his cue and approaches Diantha. He holds out his hand in front of him and exclaims with a smile on his face "Thanks for the battle Diantha, it's been a long time since me and Infernape have had the opportunity to battle like that. Thank you for allowing me to share a battlefield with you again."

Diantha smiles at the young trainer's humble attitude before she replies "The pleasure was all mine, thank you for letting me battle you again Ash. You are one of the best trainer's in the world."

The two nod in mutual respect of each other and shake hands as the crowd applaudes the show of sportsmanship.

After a few seconds, they break the hand shake apart as Diantha smirks and remarks in a competitive tone "However, our next match isn't going to end the same way as today's."

Ash smirks and replies in the same competitive tone "We definitely won't lose. I'll be training hard every day to make sure of it."

Diantha chuckles a little and thinks to herself "That's the Ash I know. Always positive and looking forward to the next challenge."

The former Kalos champion shakes off her thoughts and turns towards Serena as she exclaims "Serena, good luck tomorrow. I'll be here cheering you on."

Serena smiles brightly at one of her role models show of support as she replies in an enthusiastic tone "Thank you Diantha!"

Diantha gives the amour couple one last goodbye before she takes her leave and exits the stadium from one side. The crowd applaud and cheer in respect of their former champion as she leaves.

With Diantha gone, Ash turns towards Serena and holds out his hand as he questions "Shall we?"

Serena nods in approval as a bright smile appears on her face. She takes Ash's hand as the two walk hand in hand out of the stadium while waving to the crowd.

The crowd mostly let off loud cheers of support for the couple. However some look on at Serena with a disapproving looks, especially the performers who think she's trying to win votes through her boyfriend. Of course those sceptics would be wrong, but they have no evidence to the contrary at the moment.

In the directors box, the CEO watches with a smirk on his face as he says to himself "Our plan is coming together perfectly. Soon she'll be Kalos queen and she'll be ours. We'll use her as we see fit and exploit her fame for all the money in the world. Best part is, they have no idea what they are walking into. She'll sign my terms in desperation and have her every single moment controlled by me."

Just outside the box, a black haired individual stands outside with a recorder in hand as he whispers "Just keep talking."

He puts the recorder away and swiftly makes his exit as he think to himself "Don't do anything stupid Ash. If you go in swinging you'll ruin this for her. I need to warn them somehow."

_________________________________

And cut!

So that was it for part 1 of this showcase arc.

So what do you guys think so far?

This chapter is a little light on actual showcase stuff but it does do a lot to lay the foundation.

Will Serena be able to compete through her injuries?

What do the showcase board have planned for her?

How will Ash react to Gary's news?

What is the deal with Palermo?

All and more will be explored in the next chapter.

On today's chapter though.

What did you think of the battle?

It honestly was pretty fun to final write Infernape in action.

I feel like a lot of authors over look how much of a beast he can be.

I started playing and watching Pokémon in gen 4 so he's kind of my original goat, like Charizard is for a lot of gen 1 fans.

Obviously Greninja is my favourite Pokémon by my name but Infernape is easily top 3

Plus it won't be the last time he steps onto the battlefield.

Him and all of Ash's Pokémon have a lot of battles left to fight.

This was just sort of a practice run for myself.

I went back and forth on the finish of the battle for ages but I decided to give him the win on his return.

Anyway enough waffling

Make sure to vote and comment below as always.

Have a nice day and I'll see you all soon.