I Wanna Be The Very Best

Chapter 66: Ultraclass Finale

After the first round of the Ultraclass showcase, Serena heads back to her hotel room filled with hope for the events to come tomorrow.

While she may not have won anything today, she certainly has put herself in good stead to do so tomorrow.

5th place and the points between her and May are far from unassailable. She can make up the difference in the performance stage, if all goes as to plan tomorrow.

The honey blonde girl prepares herself for tomorrow as she settles in for the night. She and her pokemon all eat a meal worthy of their efforts today, refilling them for the challenges ahead tomorrow. She takes a warm shower and washes her hair, before putting on a comfy set of old clothes.

She puts on a pair of baggy pyjama pants, and one of Ash's old hoodies she stole and claimed as her own. While the hoodie doesn't compare to her boyfriend cuddling her, it is pretty comfy and does have his scent stained in its fibres. That scent always helps her feel relaxed.

Speaking of her boyfriend, that is the only thing that is bothering her a little right now. After the showcase he promised he was going to speak to her, but he hasn't called or text at all.

It's kind of unlike him to the say least, he usually never breaks a promise. However, she isn't really angry with him considering the time difference. It's like 3am in Galar right now. If he was still awake then that would be crazy. There's no way he can still be up.

Serena takes a small sigh as she thinks to herself "Just let it go Serena, he's probably tired and catching up on sleep. I could check with aura but honestly, I feel too worn out to use it. We can just speak in the..."

Suddenly, Serena's thoughts are interrupted as she hears her pink Rotom phone buzz on her bed side table. She takes the phone and instantly feels a smile rise up on to her face as she sees an incoming video call from her boyfriend.

She adjusts herself  as she sits up on the bed and quickly fixes up her hair. She holds the phone out in front of her as she swipes to answer the call. A few seconds later, the familiar face of her boyfriend appears on her phone screen as she instantly greets "Hey Ash!"

A slightly worn out looking Ash with a few sweat beads dripping down his forehead centres on the screen, with Riolu and Pikachu perched on his two shoulders. The raven haired trainer walks with the dark streets of Galar behind him as he replies "Hey Serena, sorry I called so late."

Serena shakes her head a little and exclaims with curiosity in her voice "It's okay Ash, I was up anyways and bored so it was good timing. How come your up so late though? Also, why do you look like you've been working out?"

Ash let's off a nervous laugh at his girlfriend's observations before he explains "Oh yeah sorry. We had so much stored up energy from sitting around watching you all day that we decided to get out. Plus, I'm still pumping with adrenaline after that battle. When me and Greninja use the bond phenomenon, I always struggle to sleep after. So me, Pikachu and Riolu went out for some training. Now we're walking back to the pokemon centre to turn in for the night. I decided to call you instead of using aura because I knew you'd be tired. We need you as well rested as possible for tomorrow. So that's why I chose to call instead."

Serena can't help but giggle a little as she hears her boyfriend's reasoning. She knows all about how energetic he can be. That combined with adrenaline explains his late night antics. While she would usually grill him for staying up so late, she can understand his reasoning so decides to let it go.

She hopes secretly that he'll be this energetic when she sees him in person next. So she can put that energy to good use of course!

Moving away from her internal thoughts, Serena places a reassuring smile on her face and exclaims "It's good to see your still keeping up with your training. You need to be prepared to face Bea in a few days as well. It's good to see you as well Pikachu, and it's nice to meet you Riolu. I'm Serena, Ash's girlfriend."

Pikachu pumps a fist in the air and shouts in a happy tone "Pika pika!"

Riolu makes a similar motion as Pikachu as he happily shouts "Riolu!"

Ash smiles at his girlfriend's positive attitude to his training and replies "Thanks beautiful, so you all ready for tomorrow."

A small hint of determination coats Serena's face as she exclaims "As ready as I'll ever be. I'm still not sure what I've got to do tomorrow with the format, but I'm prepared for whatever it is. Tomorrow is my speciality, performing. It's my job to pull back as many points as I can!"

Ash can't help but grin at Serena's determination as he pumps his fist and replies with clear optimism in his tone "Well whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be great. Your gonna be so good tomorrow that I get excited just thinking about it!"

Serena giggles her cute giggle Ash loves so much at the Alola champion's enthusiasm. She looks into his eyes through the phone screen and replies in a joyful tone "Thanks Ashy!"

Ash smiles a little more as he exclaims"No problem my angel. Let's just hope that they don't make you pick someone from the crowd to perform with you tomorrow."

Serena hears her boyfriend's point and can't help but have a little playful fun with him. She raises her eyebrow slightly and remarks "No offence Ash, but I wouldn't pick you. Your definitely a knight and not a dancer."

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's small dig and replies "Non taken beautiful. So, any plans for tomorrow."

Serena places a playful smirk on her face as she remarks in a slightly teasing tone "Now Ash, if I told you that then it would ruin the surprise."

Ash hears the tease in Serena's voice and decides to play along with their little game. He places an exaggerated frown on his face and moans "But Serena. I want to know what cool stuff your going to do."

Serena looks into her boyfriend's pleading eyes and can't help but feel a twinge of guilt. She shakes her head a little and breaks as she exclaims "Okay I'll tell you something. I don't know what performances I'll be doing because of the rules. But if I can use my own music again, then I have a new song ready to use."

Ash feels his interest peak as he hears about Serena's new music. While he is obviously biased, she has the best voice he's ever heard. She sings like an angel and the lyrics always bring joy to his ears. The Alola champion raises an eyebrow a little as he questions "When did you get time to write and record more music? I'm super excited to hear it either way."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend's clear love for her singing as she explains "I wrote the song ages ago when I was traveling Hoeen. I only decided to get it recorded last week at a studio on Poni island. I've got the track ready and it's all edited. Now I just need to play it."

Ash beams a brighter smile as his body fills with excitement at the prospect of hearing Serena's new song. He grins a little in anticipation as he exclaims "It sounds awesome Serena. So, what's the song about?"

Serena places a mischievous grin on her face as she wags her finger in a teasing manner and replies "Now that would be too much information. But when you do hear it I need you to carefully listen to the lyrics. If you do, then you'll understand what it's about."

Ash let's off a small sigh of disappointment at being left hanging. He soon shakes it off as he exclaims "Well either way, I'm really excited to hear it. I'm just excited to see you perform in general. You always look so cool on stage, not to mention absolutely gorgeous as well."

Serena giggles a little at the compliment as she replies "Thanks, and you look pretty handsome too. Even if you are a little sweaty. Make sure you shower when your back at the pokemon centre. If you don't then Pikachu , please shock him for me to remind him okay?"

Pikachu takes in Serena's command and does a little salute before he shouts in confirmation "Pi Pikachu!"

Ash let's off a small chuckle before he exclaims with his hands up in a defensive position "I will don't worry. I'm even using that shampoo you told me to use. I've got to admit, it's all pretty good. I shouldn't have doubted it in the first place."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend's admission, always happy to hear him take on her advice on things like this. She giggles a little before she replies "Good, I'm glad to hear that you've been taking care of yourself."

Ash smiles reassuringly and replies "I couldn't forget Serena. You told me to take care of myself properly so I'm doing it. I'd do anything to make you happy."

Serena smiles brightly at Ash's point, bubbling slightly at his cuteness. He always does things to make her smile, and that makes both their lives a little brighter.

Suddenly, Serena lets off a small yawn as she feels herself becoming a little fatigued.

Ash notices the yawn and raises an eyebrow as he softly questions "You feeling sleepy beautiful?"

Serena rubs her eyes a little and admits "A little, it's actually really tiring doing so many battles in one day."

Ash let's off a small chuckle and replies with a knowing smirk "Tell me about it babe, there's a lot of thinking that goes into battles."

Serena nods in agreement with her boyfriend and exclaims "Yeah your right, I think I'm gonna get some sleep for tomorrow. I need to be sharp on stage and I can't afford to be fatigued out there. I need to be as fresh as I can be."

Ash smiles at the current Kalos queen and replies in a soft tone "Yeah that's true. Well in that case, good night my angel. Sweet dreams and I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be watching the whole time and cheering for you as always."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend's soft tone, feeling half of what she feels when he says good night to her in person. She looks at the camera and simply remarks "Good night Ash, I love you."

Ash gives her one last smile as he replies "I love you too princess."

The two cut their call as Serena tucks herself into bed. Instinctively she rolls over and tries to hug her boyfriend. However, she ends up hugging air as a cold empty feeling fills her body.

The Kalos queen takes a small sigh as she whispers to herself "I miss you Ash."

She shakes off that thought as she looks for an alternative. She grabs her boyfriend's worn out hoodie and clutches it in her arms. Soon the familiar scent fills her nasal passages, as she drifts into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Ash puts away his Rotom phone and looks to his left at his Riolu. He smiles at the young pokemon and questions "So, what did you think of Serena?"

Riolu give his trainer a happy smile before turning his face into a small warning frown, screaming at him to not mess this up.

Ash takes a small sigh and exclaims "You as well. Why do you all like Serena more than me?"

Pikachu giggles from Ash's shoulder and shouts "Pika, Pi, Pikachu!" Which translates to "Because she gives us pokepuffs!"

Ash chuckles a little and replies to his first Pokémon "Fair point Pikachu. Anyway, lets get back to the pokemon centre. We've got another big day of cheering tomorrow."

Pikachu and Riolu nod as the trio continue to walk towards the pokemon centre, ready to turn in for the night.

________________________________

Intro

The next day, Serena wakes up bright and early for the day ahead. The honey blonde girl is full of energy as she prances around her hotel room.

She does her usual morning routine as she makes breakfast for her and all her pokemon, before taking a shower. She changes into her usual clothes before lounging around her hotel room for a bit.

The competition starts at the same time as yesterday, just after nightfall. However, competitors don't need to be there as early today with no opening ceremony so she has more time to relax.

The plan is to take some time in the morning to study, before heading down to the hotel restaurant for a lunch time buffet provided by the showcase board of control.

After that, it's off to the Manolo arena for today's events!

Serena sits on the foot of her bed, studying some last minute footage of her from her her last performance. While Serena doesn't usually like to watch herself back, she's doing so to find any holes in her work. Even if she can only find one fault, that fault could be all the difference with how tight this competition is. Those few points gained from one correction could be just what she needs to win.

As Serena continues to watch the footage, she hears a knock on her door. She raises an eyebrow and questions to herself "Who could that be?"

She stands up from her bed and walks over to the door. She soon reaches the door and moves the door handle. The door flings open as Serena is instantly met with two familiar smiling faces.

Serena gasps a little before she shouts ecstatically "Mom!"

The Kalos queen instantly lunges towards her mother, locking her in a tight hug. Grace let's off a small chuckle before she hugs her daughter back. She smiles at her daughter and greets "It's good to see you dear."

Serena smiles as she replies "It's great to see you mom. I didn't think I'd see you until the showcase."

Grace smiles down at her daughter and explains "Well we wanted to stop by before to make sure your doing okay."

Serena bubbles a little, completely overjoyed to have her mother's support. She breaks the hug and lunges towards the other motherly figure in her life. Her smile only grows brighter as she comments "It's great to see you too Mrs Ketchum. Thank you for coming all this way."

Delia shakes her head a little at Serena's politeness and replies ""Now Serena, what have I told you about calling me Mrs Ketchum. You don't have to be so polite all the time."

Serena gasps a little in shock as she realises she made the same mistake again. She bows in apology and exclaims in a slightly panicked tone "I'm really sorry Delia, I just get nervous and I go back to using a formal greeting. I just don't want to disrespect you in any way.

Delia smiles reassuringly at the teenager and places her hands on her shoulders. She looks her straight in the eye and exclaims "Serena, you don't need to be nervous dear. You know your free to act yourself around me. I think we're past the awkward, girlfriend meets boyfriend's mom stage don't you think?"

Serena smiles at Delia's comments, always appreciating how nice Ash's mom is to her. They've both got a real bond already, and Serena is really happy about that. Her boyfriend's mom likes her a lot, that's good for her nerves and her mental state. It just helps make her relationship even healthier.

The Kalos queen shakes off her thoughts and replies "Thank you Delia, do you two want to come on in?"

Delia smiles at her son's girlfriend and simply replies "I'll make the drinks. Tea or coffee?"

Serena shakes her head a little and exclaims "I'll make them Delia, your my guests. I don't want to trouble you like that."

Delia frowns a little and replies "You've got a big competition today, there's no way I'm letting you do all the work. What type of mother in law would I be if I didn't make sure your ready?"

Serena bubbles a little Delia's words as a small blush appears on her cheeks. Delia is completely awesome, and is the best boyfriend's mom in the world in her eyes. She'll be the perfect mother in law one day!

The current Kalos queen places a small smile on her face and politely remarks "Coffee please."

Delia smiles as she walks into the room, with Grace following close behind her. Serena's mom looks back at her daughter and questions "Since when did you get so polite?"

Serena shakes her head at her mother's question and responds "Well, maybe I'm a lot less grumpy mother when I'm not living with someone who only wants me to Ryhorn race."

Grace sighs as she mutters "Yep, she's still my daughter."

Delia makes her way to the kitchen and quickly whips up a few drinks. She makes a tea for her and Grace, before getting a coffee ready for Serena. The 3 women sit around a circular table as they begin to talk.

Serena takes a sip of her coffee before she questions "So, how did you guys get tickets for this? Come to think of it, how did you even figure out where I was staying?"

Grace smiles and explains "Well, Aria never told you but as a performer you were given an allocation of tickets to give to friends and family. Originally, she gave them to Ash to use but obviously he couldn't make it. So, he told her to get in touch with me to figure things out. She offered me a ticket and a plus one in the VIP area. So, I asked Delia to come with me. She talks all the time on the phone about how much she loves your performances so it only felt right to ask her. As for your hotel room, I just had to ask your boyfriend where you were staying."

Serena feels her heart dance as she hears the reasoning behind her mom and Delia's invites. She looks at the two with bright smiles and exclaims "I'll have to thank Ash later. Thank you both so much for making the trip for me. I really do appreciate it."

Delia smiles at the young performer and replies "Of course we made the trip dear. It's a big competition for you and you deserve all the support possible."

Serena beams a smile at her boyfriend's mom and exclaims "Thanks Delia, so how have you been enjoying Alola?"

Grace let's off a small chuckle before she replies "We've been making the most of the vacation to say the least. Especially the VIP passes we've got. Having a famous daughter does have its perks."

Serena lets off a small giggle at her mother's point as she exclaims "Well, I'm glad you two have been getting on so well. It's, just nice to see that our families are mixing well."

Delia nods in agreement with Serena as she takes a sip from her tea. She turns towards Grace and remarks "We do have a lot in common, plus it's not the first time we've met."

Serena raises an eyebrow and questions "Really it's not ?"

Grace shakes her head and explains "Someone had to pick you both up from summer camp remember? We had a little chat before while we were waiting. Plus, we ran into each other at that festival when you decided to run away with Ash. We were both searching for you both together."

Serena places a guilty smile on her face as she replies "Oh yeah, I forgot you two were looking for us together."

Grace let's off a small sigh and shakes her head as she exclaims with a hint of anger in her voice "I still can't believe you just ran off like that. Honestly, I don't know what you thought you were doing!"

Serena gulps a little at her mother's sudden outburst at her, before her rebellious side kicks in. Is she seriously still mad at her for that? Does she not understand she ran away to see her best friend at the time? To spend time with her crush and future partner?"

Delia sees the look on Serena's face and instantly can tell she's about to hit back at her mother. The chestnut haired woman lets off a small laugh as she places her hand on Grace's shoulder and remarks "Now Grace, I'm sure we can forget all about that and sweep it under the carpet. After all, it all worked out in the end."

Grace takes a small sigh before she admits "I guess your right. I just, have bad memories of that day. I thought for an hour that I had lost my daughter. You were the only thing I had back then."

Serena looks over at Delia and gives her an appreciative smile before she turns her attention towards her mom. She looks across at her with a small reassuring smile as she places a hand on hers. She looks her mother in the eyes and whispers in a soft tone "I'm sorry I made you worry mom."

Grace sniffs back a tear, keeping herself strong through her emotions. She shakes her head and looks at her daughter as she exclaims "It's okay sweetie. I'm proud of you."

The mother and daughter give each other small smiles, both appreciating each other in different ways. While Grace was an overprotective mother in a lot of ways, she was always that way because Serena is and was her everything.

Serena understands that still, and she can't help but appreciate everything her mom did for her growing up. She must have been through a lot to keep her warm and fed, but she always did what she had to.

Delia smiles at the two, feeling a little bubbly at how well they get on. She gives it a few seconds before she decides to change the subject as she exclaims "Oh Serena I nearly forgot, we got you a few gifts for today's competition."

Serena turns towards Delia with a small frown as she shakes her head in dismissal and exclaims "Delia, that isn't necessary really."

The Kanto native shakes her head and exclaims "Serena, I'm not taking no for an answer."

She reaches down under the table and pulls up two full gift bags. She passes them across the table towards Serena while flashing her a small smile.

Serena sighs in defeat, already knowing there's no way she can't win this argument. Just like her son, Delia can be pretty head strong when she wants to be. She takes the bags into her hands and replies "Thank you."

Serena peeks her head into the bags, gazing at the items in side. Once she sees what she's been gifted, her eyes instantly widen in shock as she questions "Are these, outfits?"

Grace nods and explains "Yeah, outfits for you and all your Pokémon too. Don't worry Delia picked them not me."

Delia chuckles a little before she continues "There all from Valerie's latest collection. Ash told me you liked her work so I looked into it and found the perfect sets for you to use today. He told me that he thinks you might want to incorporate a certain theme at some point, and they certainly fit that theme."

Serena can't help but stare at the sets as she bubbles a little inside at how beautiful they look. The best part is, they perfectly fit her theme as well. Delia guessed correctly.

However, there is something that bothers the Kalos queen when she looks at the designs. She gets that point across as she looks up with a small frown and questions "How did you afford all this? Valerie's designs can be expensive. The only dress I have of hers she gave to me. If Ash payed for these then we need to talk. He promised me he'd start saving money for the future."

Grace shrugs her shoulders and nonchalantly explains "We took a loan out on my house."

Serena's eyes widen in shock as she screams "What!?"

Delia giggles a little before she explains "She's kidding Serena. Your manager Aria spoke to Valerie and she was more than happy to give away merchandise to you for free. Your a big draw and she'll make money back in stock sales just from your wearing it. Your practically walking advertisement."

Serena feels her shock die down as she smiles brightly. She never thought she'd see the day where she'd practically be sponsored by Valerie! She looks up at her two motherly figures with bright smiles and exclaims with excitement creeping into her tone "Thank you so much!"

The two mom's smile back at her as Grace replies "That's okay dear."

Delia adds "We're glad that we can help."

Serena shakes her head and remarks in a modest tone "You help more than you could ever know."

Grace places a proud smile on her face as she looks with pride in her eyes at her daughter. She couldn't be happier looking at the beautiful, strong and courageous young lady she's become. She stands up from her seat and exclaims "I'm just doing my job Serena. Anyway, it's about time we got going. You've got a competition to prepare for."

Serena smiles as she rises up from her chair. She walks over to her mom and gives her a small hug as she replies "Take care mom, I'll see you at the arena."

Grace smiles at her daughter and simply remarks "You sure will dear. Go out there and give it your all."

The two break the hug as Serena approaches Delia and gives her a small hug. Delia smiles and hugs her back as she exclaims "Do your best tonight Serena. Either way, I'll be proud of you."

Serena beams a bright smile at Delia's support and replies "Thanks Delia."

The two break their hug as the two mom's make their way towards the door. As they do, Delia turns around and exclaims "I almost forgot, your heading back to Kanto after all of this right Serena?"

Serena nods and replies "Yeah that's right, me and Ash are planning on doing some traveling there before the indigo league."

Delia smiles a little and exclaims in an inviting tone "Well in that case, why don't we fly back together. You can stay with me until Ash comes back to Kanto as well."

Serena smiles at Delia's offer and replies "That sounds great. But if I'm too much of a burden then I don't mind...."

Delia shakes her head as she cuts off Serena "Your never a burden dear, and your always welcome to stay at my house. Your family, and family is always welcome at my place."

Serena beams a brighter smile at Delia's acceptance of her and replies in an ecstatic tone "Thanks Delia!"

The two mom's take their leave, as Serena stands alone in the middle of her hotel room. She takes a small satisfied sigh before she whispers to herself "I'm so lucky to have them both."

The honey blonde girl takes a second to appreciate her two motherly figures before she hears her Rotom phone ping. She instantly gasps in shock as she sees the time and shouts "I'm going to be late for lunch!"

The current Kalos queen quickly gathers up her stuff before dashing out the door to head to the hotel restaurant.
__________________________________

A few minutes later, Serena rushes into the hotel restaurant, scanning around the room to get her bearings.

The room is filled with all the other performers and coordinators, all getting ready for today's events. They all sit at tables, eating and talkin amongst themselves.

Serena looks around the room and takes a small nervous sigh. She looks down at the ground and whispers to herself "This all reminds me of school. It's like being in the cafeteria again. Hopefully I don't have to eat by the bins again either."

She looks around a little more until she spots the buffet table. The Kalos queen decides to worry about her seating problem later as she goes over to grab her lunch.

Serena makes it the buffet table and grabs a plate, before taking a trip through the buffet to grab her food. She fixes herself up a plate of a light lunch. Some fresh salad and some form of meat side are her usual go to before a performance. Not too heavy but filling enough to keep her going throughout the day.

As she makes her plate, Serena feels one of her pokeballs shake in her purse. She quickly opens up her purse and takes out the shaking pokeball. The pokeball soon pops open, as baby Pikachu emerges.

The young pokemon stands on the buffet table with a smile and shouts "Pika!"

Serena giggles a little at the baby as she questions "Are you hungry Pikachu?"

She nods frantically while gesturing towards the pokemon part of the buffet.

Serena smiles at the electric mouse warmly and exclaims "Okay then, we'll go and take a look. Your still a growing girl so your allowed to eat a little more than the rest."

Pikachu beams a bright smile as she leaps up onto Serena's shoulder. The two of them head over to the pokemon side of the buffet, where Serena fixes up two bowls of food.

After adding a hint of ketchup to Pikachu's meal, a trend she's picked up from her adoptive father, the two of them leave the buffet area and begin to look around for a place to sit.

They wander around for a few minutes as they move around the crowded hall. Unfortunately for the two of them, all they can really find are tables with the seats all taken.

Serena puts a worried look on her face as she looks around the room for some space. As expected, the only space she can see are by a nearby set of bins.

The Kalos queen takes a small sigh before she whispers "I guess it's time to go back to school."

"Serena! Over here!"

Serena turns her head towards the sound of the voice. She soon spots two familiar faces as May and Dawn sit at a 4 person table, with a seat free either side of them.

The Kalos queen places a small nervous smile on her face as she greets "Hey guys."

May smiles back at the honey blonde performer and shouts over "Well don't just stand there, come over and sit!"

Dawn taps the seat next to her and adds "Come on, we specifically saved you a seat!"

Serena smiles in appreciation of May and Dawn's gesture as she replies with clear relief in her voice "Thank you both so much."

May shakes her head a little at how polite Serena is and exclaims "You can thank us by taking a seat."

Serena giggles a little before she makes her way over to the table. She places her lunch on the table before taking a seat next to Dawn. She smiles at the two girls before she looks down towards the floor to place down the bowls of pokemon food. As she does, she spots two pokemon on the ground already eating.

Dawn's Piplup and May's Muchlax sit eating their lunch as Serena exclaims "A Piplup! I've never seen one in person before!"

Dawn smiles down at her water type starter and explains "He was the first Pokémon I got when I started my journey. He's been a loyal friend ever since."

Serena smiles up at Dawn and replies "That's cool. He's pretty cute."

Dawn chuckles a little before she exclaims "Thanks Serena."

The current Kalos queen turns her attention towards the two Pokémon and greets with a small smile "Hey guys, is it okay if my Pokémon eat with you two?"

The two Pokémon nod their head yes, while giving off reassuring smiles. Serena smiles back before placing the two bowls of food on the ground.

Serena reaches into her bag and takes out another pokeball. She taps the button on the pokeball, releasing Sylveon.

Serena smiles at her fairy type Pokémon and exclaims "Sylveon, you don't mind watching Pikachu eat do you."

Sylveon shakes her head to symbolise she doesn't mind, as baby Pikachu leaps over to her. Sylveon catches her in her ribbon feelers, before placing the baby down next to her bowl to eat.

May smiles down at the two Pokémon and comments "Your Pikachu looks a lot more confident now."

Serena smiles down at the baby and replies with clear pride in her tone "Yeah, she's certainly come a long way over the last few months. She's growing up so fast. The real turning point for her was when she met Ash's Pikachu. He's such a great dad to her."

Dawn hears the news and nearly chokes on her water as she questions "Dad?"

Serena giggles a little before she explains "That's right. Not biological but adopted. You see, I found Pikachu here in a bad way as a little Pichu in Hoenn. I couldn't leave her so I took her in. I quickly learned she was a natural dancer and she fell in love with performing. My Sylveon was with me when I found her, and she quickly took to her as a mother naturally. Then Ash's Pikachu was kind of roped into being a dad. Now, their a couple and one big happy family."

May smiles as she hears the story and exclaims "I knew meeting Ash's Pikachu would be good for her. I didn't realise it would be that good though."

Dawn looks down at the baby as Sylveon uses her Ribbon feelers to feed her while her Piplup waddles over to give her a drink of water from one of the cups. She can't help but smile as she comments "She's so cute. I want to hold her later."

Serena giggles a little and replies "You can do, but give her some time to warm up to you first. She can be shy around new people."

Dawn nods as she lets off a small laugh and exclaims "Yeah good idea. If she's anything like her dad then she probably packs quite the shock."

Serena lets a small smirk rise up onto her face as she nonchalantly remarks "He's taught her well."

The two girls share a laugh in understanding, before they begin to tuck into their respective lunches.

After a few seconds of peace, a pattering of feet approach the table from May's side. Soon enough, Drew stands behind the Hoeen princess with what can only be described as a platter in his hands. He approaches his girlfriend and exclaims "Hey beautiful."

May turns her head towards her boyfriend's voice as a smile appears on her face. She looks up at him and greets "Hey Drew, did you get my lunch."

Drew nods as he takes the plate of food and places it in front of his girlfriend. May instantly bubbles a little in excitement as she shouts "Thanks Drew, your the best!"

Drew let's off a small chuckle as he leans down, giving May a quick peck on the cheek. He rises back up and places his hands on her shoulder's, rubbing them slightly as he replies "It's no problem my dear May."

Serena looks over at May's plate as her eyes widen in disbelief. She discreetly leans her head towards Dawn and whispers "Is she seriously going to eat all that?"

Dawn leans over and whispers back in reply "That's her third plate. One thing you need to know about May, she's quite the foodie."

Serena shakes her head in astonishment, thrown off a little by May's portion sizes. Some people are just lucky. She clearly eats a ton and yet she's still in fantastic shape. Ash has got that lucky gene too. Just eat, eat and eat and never gain any weight. Meanwhile, she's constantly having to watch what she eats to stay in perfect shape. Well that's at least what Serena sees through her insecurities. Luckily, she's a natural beauty.

Her thought process is soon interrupted as Drew exclaims softly "I'm going to go and take a pre showcase walk. Text me when your ready to leave."

May smiles up at her boyfriend and replies in clearing a happy tone "Thanks Drew. I love you."

Drew smiles and replies in a soft tone "I love you too May."

The two Hoenn natives lean in and share a quick peck on the lips, before Drew heads out to take a walk.

With her boyfriend gone, May turns her attention back to her food and starts to practically shovel through her plate with her fork.

Serena and Dawn turn towards each other and sweat drop a little at the speed of May's eating. Honestly, how she's going to go on stage and perform after this is a mystery.

Serena lets off a small cough and she tries to change the subject as she exclaims "So, you two all made up then."

May swallows down a gulp of her meal before she raises her eyebrow and questions "What do you mean by that?"

Serena smiles a little slyly as she explains "You and Drew. You were arguing and fighting yesterday right? Now though you look like your on good terms again."

May shakes her head a little as she replies through a small laugh "Oh yeah that. Well we hashed things out pretty quick."

Dawn rolls her eyes a little at her best friend's statement and exclaims "Honestly Serena they do this all the time. They pretty much fight like 3 times a week."

Serena's eyes widen a little in shock as she further questions "Wait really?"

May shrugs her shoulders and replies "Dawn your exaggerating. It's more like twice a week."

Dawn shakes her head a little and exclaims through a small sigh "I wish that was true. Not to mention the 5 times you've broken up as well."

May let's off a small nervous laugh before she admits "Well I guess your right."

Serena's eyes widen in disbelief as she hears about May and Drew's constant bickering. She raises her eyebrow in suspicion as she questions "Do you really fight that often? Me and Ash only really argue like once every few months. That's always because he catches me in a bad mood and I snap at him for it. You know how it is with those days."

Dawn lets off a chuckle before she remarks with her eyes pointed accusingly at May "You see, that's what a normal relationship looks like."

May giggles a little before she replies with a hint of accusation in her voice "Your one to talk."

Dawn fakes a pained response as she replies "Ouch May, you really went there."

Serena looks around the room with confusion on her face, not really understanding what the hell her two new friends are taking about. May notices her reaction and explains with a small smile on her face "Basically Serena, me and Drew fight so often because we love making each other lose our marbles. The great thing about fighting is, we get to make up and make out at the end of it. The feeling of making up is just so addicting if you catch my drift."

Serena thinks about May's statement and takes in her point. She definitely understands the blissful feeling of making up and then making out! While it only happened once, it was pretty fun.

The Kalos queen takes a small giggle as she wipes the thought from her mind. She looks up at May and exclaims "I guess it is. I know the feeling your talking about. Even if I wouldn't want my relationship to be based on that, I do understand it."

May smirks a little as she turns her head towards Dawn and remarks with a small hint of playful malice in her voice "You see, Serena gets it."

Dawn lets off a small sigh before she replies "Well, maybe I'd be a little more forgiving of you if I hadn't been caught out by you and Drew's games. The first time you broke, I flew all the way to Hoenn to come and back be with you. I arrive at your house and what do I see, you and Drew kissing in the front room. I didn't know if to be happy that you were back together, or slap you for making me go all that way for nothing."

May chuckles a little before she exclaims in an accusing tone "Don't act like I didn't do the same for you when you went through your break up."

Serena hears the statement and instantly turns towards Dawn. She places a small frown on her face as she questions "You went through a break up?"

Dawn nods as a small smile drifts onto her face. She takes a small sigh before she explains "Yeah about 6 months ago now. I was dating my childhood friend Kenny and it was fun for a while. But, ultimately our schedules were too busy and we ended up splitting mutually. It just wasn't the right time for us to be together."

Serena hears the story and instantly takes a relation to Dawn's situation. She was dating her childhood friend and ended up breaking up because of their conflicting schedules. Is that what will happen to her and Ash? Her mind races with negativity as the Kalos queen can't help but notice the similarities. While she already knows the answer to the question she's asking herself, she still can't help but let her self doubt fill her with dread.

May and Dawn notice Serena's subdued reaction and both give each other small smirks. May looks up at the current Kalos queen and exclaims "Sere, your not breaking up with Ash!"

Serena instantly snaps out of her thoughts as a thick red blush coats her cheeks. She shakes her head frantically and fires back "I wasn't thinking about that!"

Dawn shakes her head and rolls her eyes as she replies sarcastically "Of course you weren't."

Serena takes a small sigh to calm down as she looks down at the table. She shakes her head a little in dismay before she admits "Okay maybe I was thinking about that. It's just that there is definitely similarities with you being childhood friends. I know me and Ash are okay but still, when you love something so much you worry about losing it."

May smiles reassuringly at her friend as she reaches over the table. She places a hand on her shoulder and exclaims "It's okay Serena. While on the surface your relationships were similar, it was nothing like that in practice."

Dawn nods and continues "Yeah there's no need to worry Serena. You and Ash are clearly more madly in love than we were. We were only together for 2 months and you've been together for over a year now. We were never as close as you two are. Ash clearly feels the same way as you too."

Serena feels completely reassured by May and Dawn's words. Honestly speaking, she doesn't really know why she was panicking. She literally had this discussion with Ash before! Plus, in two more days she's going to see him back in Kanto and she's never separating from him again.

She looks up at her two friends with a guilty smile before she replies "Thanks girls, I'm sorry for being so worried. I guess I just get insecure about these things. I just love him that's all."

May giggles before she exclaims "We know you do, it's not like you've said it three times in the past 5 minutes."

Serena giggles a little as May breaks some of the tension in the room. She quickly turns towards her new friend from Sinnoh and questions "So Dawn, what was it like. The break up."

Dawn shrugs her shoulder's and replies "It went okay I guess. We spoke and it was all mutually agreed with respect. I was a mess for a few days but we worked through it quickly. Me and Kenny are still friends now so it's all good."

May rolls her eyes a little in dismay before she exclaims "Calling yourself a mess is an understatement to say the least. You were sobbing for a good 3 days straight."

Dawn lets off a nervous laugh before she replies "Yeah I may have been exaggerating."

Serena places a smile on her face as she questions "I'm curious, how did you get over everything?"

Dawn smiles back as she explains in an over enthusiastic tone "The usual tricks. Movies, fluffy clothes and lots of ice cream! I think between me and May we drained Sinnoh of its ice cream supply for a year."

Serena giggles a little at the joke. If May ate as much ice cream as she does normal food, then there definitely would have been a shortage ice cream after she was through.

Speaking of May, she adjusts herself on her chair before she changes the subject "Enough about boys anyway and Dawn's lack of one. You both ready for the competition today?"

Serena nods and replies with a determined grin on her face "You bet I am."

Dawn places a similar smirk on her face as she continues "Your going down Ms Maple. I may be second place at the moment but that's all about to change by the end of today."

May shakes her head and replies in a fiery tone "I'm not worried. I'm gonna be the one with the tiara on my head by the end of the day."

Dawn smirks as she exclaims "Don't be so sure May, you know I won't back down. Me and my Pokémon are ready."

The Sinnoh native turns towards the Kalos queen and gestures towards her as she continues with the same grin "Don't count out Mrs Serena Ketchum either. She's the only true performer out of us."

Serena's cheeks instantly light up with heat as she shakes her head head frantically and shouts "Do you really have to call me that!"

May rolls her eyes at Serena's fake rage and replies "Don't pretend that you don't love it. I can guarantee that you probably day dream about that name constantly."

Serena takes a deep breath to calm herself down before she replies with a sheepish smile "Yeah, your right."

Dawn chuckles a little a before she questions "So Serena, are you ready for the competition."

Serena nods as she fully regains her composure. She places a competitive smirk on her face before she exclaims "We're ready alright! I know I'm behind on points but today is my specialty. Me and my Pokémon will give it our all and we won't give up until the very end!"

Pikachu and Sylveon both hear their trainer's words and let off positive cries in support of her point.

May places a small smirk on her face as she remarks "It looks like we're all ready."

Dawn nods in agreement and continues "Its gonna be a close race to the finish. All 3 of us could easily win today."

Serena nods before she finishes "May the best performer win. No holding back. But afterwards, let's make sure we all stay friends no matter what."

May and Dawn look at Serena as the 3 girls lock eyes. They all convey the same message as they exchange competitive looks. They promise to give it their all out there and hold nothing back on stage. But after, to accept victory or defeat in the right manner and stay friends.

After a few seconds, the three of them are snapped out their thoughts as they see performers and coordinators leaving the restaurant.

Serena takes a small sigh as she finishes up her lunch. She looks at her Rotom phone as she comments "It looks like it's time to go. I better go and call my manager to arrange a driver."

May shakes her head a little as she exclaims cryptically "There's no need for that."

Serena raises an eyebrow in confusion as she questions "What do you mean by that?"

Dawn smiles and explains "You can come with us if you want."

Serena hears Dawn's words as her modest side kicks in. She shakes her head and replies in a polite tone "It's okay thanks. I wouldn't want to be such a burden. Plus those cars can get a little cramped."

May shakes her head and exclaims "Serena, I'm not taking no for an answer."

Dawn nods in agreement with her friend and continues "Plus, it's not going to cramped. We've got a limo for Arceus sake."

Serena's eyes widen in shock as she questions "A limo?"

May nods and explains "Yeah that's right. The contest board are pretty brash and gave one to their elite performers. We don't really want it, but we couldn't say no once they made their minds up."

Serena lets off a knowing sigh before she replies "My manager offered me the same thing, except she was a little more willing to listen."

Dawn giggles a little before she questions "So, you coming or not?"

Serena thinks it over for a bit before she smiles and exclaims "Sure."

May smiles at Serena's acceptance before she remarks "Great, I'll call Drew and tell him to meet us there."

Serena and Dawn nod as May calls her boyfriend. They talk for a minute before they hang up. After, the 3 girls return their pokemon before they head out of the restaurant and make their way towards the limo.
________________________________

A few minutes later, Serena finds herself sat in a blacked out limo with May, Dawn and Drew.

The limo itself is the complete definition of luxury with all the advanced features you'd expect from a car like this. It's extremely spacious with recliner seats and all sorts of other cool technology.

While Serena may not be the type of person to want to travel like this all the time, she has to admit that it is pretty fun and something she can see herself doing from time to time.

While in the back of the limo, Serena decides to have a bit of fun as she takes a selfie of her, Dawn and May. The three girls giggle as Serena sends the selfie to her boyfriend to get his reaction.

A few seconds later, her Rotom phone pings as Ash messages her back.

Ash: Good to see you girls are all getting along.

Ash: Your smile looks so good btw.

Serena: Ah thanks Ashy 🥰

Serena: May and Dawn are amazing. I can see why you were all friends.

Ash: Yeah they were fun to to travel with. But your going to be even more amazing on stage tonight.

Serena: Thanks handsome. I'm nearly at the arena now. Make sure you give me a little aura wave to let me know your watching!

Ash: I will my princess. Go out there and give it everything you've got.

Serena: I will Ash! Love you!!! 😘🥰

Ash: I love you too beautiful 😘

Serena puts her phone away as the limo pulls up outside of the arena. Soon after, the door to the limo swings open as the limo driver stands by.

The four of them exit the limo and thank him for the lift. They soon make their way to the competitor's entrance where they split apart to go to their locker rooms.

Serena makes her way to the same dressing room as yesterday with a spring in her step as she enters the room. Excitement rushes through her veins as she begins to get everything ready.

It takes a few hours but she gets everyone ready as she dresses up all her pokemon in the same outfit as yesterday, expect for Delphox who Serena improvises an outfit for. Considering Delphox is already a pokemon dressed in robes, she focuses more on the accessories as she ties ribbons and bows on her existing robes.

After her pokemon are ready, Serena changes into her same outfit of baby blue and white. She places on her jewellery and styles up her hair. She puts on a face of make up and ties her blue ribbon into her hair. She smiles at herself in the mirror, confident in the look after Ash's words yesterday.

With her and her pokemon ready, Serena makes her way over to a nearby monitor. She takes a deep breath and focuses in, as she waits for the showcase to start and for the rules to be announced.
________________________________

Out on stage, the crowd is filled to capacity once again as they wait with anticipation for day two of the Ultraclass to begin.

Tension fills the air as the crowd waits, knowing exactly what is at stake today.

In the crowd, Goh places a bored look on his face as he comments "They seriously drag out the start of these things don't they. I mean, how long does it take for performers to get ready."

Chloe shakes her head at Goh's ignorance and explains "Well, to do hair and make up takes a long time. Not to mention getting all your Pokémon ready too."

Goh rolls his eyes and moans "That's just an excuse all women use."

Chloe frowns in anger at her classmates statement, feeling enraged by the ludicrous suggestion. She takes her hand and moves it towards his ear lobe, before pinching down it.

Goh instantly lets off a screech of pain before he moans "That hurts you know!"

Chloe pouts as she folds her arms and mutters "Stupid boy."

Goh turns his head away as he whispers "What's her deal anyway."

Kiawe let's off a small chuckle as he places a hand on Goh's shoulder and exclaims "A word of advice, never complain about how long a girl takes to get ready."

Suddenly, the lights in the arena flicker as spot light shines down on the stage below. From the shadows, the familiar figure of Monsieur Pierre steps out into the spotlight.

The usual host for any good showcase raises the microphone up to his lips as he exclaims "Bonjour pokemon lovers of Alola and those watching around the world. Welcome to day 2 of the ultra class pokemon showcase!"

The crowd roars in excitement as they prepare themselves for another day of exciting action from the best performers in the world.

Pierre lets the applause die down before he continues "Yesterday, we witnessed the contest portion of this showcase where our competitors took part in an epic tournament. We got to see rivals face off, and friends go head to head. It all culminated in the finale, where the Hoenn princess May and the Kalos queen Serena battled it out in a battle that saw everything we could have imagined. Mega evolution, evolutions, Z moves and the return of the famous Ash- Greninja. Our two competitors split the points with a draw. Afterwards, we found out that May was our leading competitor after the first day."

The crowd claps a little in respect of the show yesterday, still buzzing from just how good it was.

Pierre waits for the applause to end before he exclaims "Day 2 is upon us now and our competitors will be engaging in my personal favourite format, the showcase rounds!"

The crowd cheers in support of the showcase round, excited to see what sort of performances everyone can produce.

Pierre smiles in excitement before he continues "However, todays format will not be as straight forward as a usual showcase. The points from yesterday's events will of course be carried over to today. So how will our performers score points you may ask? Well, each round a group of 3 will compete against each other as in a regular showcase until the final group of three compete in the grand final. Every round, points will be scored in 3 ways. Firstly, points will be scored by progressing through the rounds. Of course as usual, you will be able to vote for your favourite with your glow caster, or by using the pokemon showcase app. The performer with the highest number of public votes will progress. Secondly, earning a higher percentage of the vote will earn you more points. Thirdly, our judges will score your performances in a variety of different categories. They will be once again adding precious skill points to your totals, which we saw yesterday will make all the difference."

The crowd murmur as they begin to understand the voting system. It's not too difficult to understand, considering it's similar to a normal showcase but with the judges having an impact to.

Pierre waits for the crowd to die down before he exclaims "So you my be wondering, what sort of gimmick will be on show today? Well each round, our performers will be going in completely blind. They will have no knowledge of what they will be doing before entering the stage. Once they enter, they will learn the context behind their upcoming performance. This may be a certain theme, a certain number of Pokémon, or even something a little more random. This means innovation and improvisation will be of the upmost importance. This pattern will continue on until the final round where the last group of 3 will put on their own unrestricted freestyle performances.

The crowd whisper amongst themselves as they begin to grasp the challenges the performers will have to go through today.

In the Galar region, Ash watches in the same spot as yesterday as a small smirk rises up onto his face. He lets off a small chuckle before he thinks to himself "That's a perfect format for Serena. She's experienced in performing and she knows how to innovate and improvise. She did that during the master class. She's got this in the bag!"

Back on stage, Pierre places a bright smile on his face as he finishes "So, now that our format is revealed it's time to give our performers a bit of time to prepare for the changes. In 10 minutes time, our first 3 performers will be up on stage. But until then, Au revior!"

_______________________________

Serena hears the news about the format and is instantly intrigued to find out what types of themes she may need to incorporate into her performances.

While the uncertainty is concerning, her ability to adapt to the situation she's put in should hold her in good stead.

I mean for Arceus sake, she's dating the master of improvisation and coming up with a plan on the spot.

She watches the first few rounds of performers from backstage as she gets a grasp on her competition today. So far, there's been no real upsets. May, Dawn, Zoe, Drew, Shauna, Nini, Miette, Kenny, Ursula and Lizia have all progressed through the opening round.

Despite some random themes and stipulations, they've all managed to get through their opening round with little to no problems.

Serena continues to watch the competition from backstage until she hears a knock on the door. A few seconds later, a producer pops her head in the room and exclaims "Your in the next group Serena."

Serena nods as she rises up from her chair. She places a determined look on her face as she strides out of her dressing room, ready to take on day 2!
______________________________

The crowd brews with anticipation as they wait for the next group of contestants to enter the stage. While it may only be round one, there has already been some awesome performances on display which leave the crowd buzzing for more.

Suddenly, a spot light shines down on the stage as Monsieur Pierre comes into view. The showcase host smiles and announces enthusiastically "Now pokemon lovers, it's time for the final group of 3 of the first round!"

The crowd roars in excitement as 3 pods rise up to the stage. The 3 pods soon open up as 3 performers step out and onto the stage. In the middle one, Serena walks out with a smile plastered on her face, while her two opponents flank her with serious looks.

The crowd's cheers grow even louder upon seeing the Kalos queen, and the fan favourite amongst the locals.

Serena steps forward a little more and takes her place as she gazes up into the crowd. Just like yesterday, she quickly finds her friends and gives them a wave. She hears Chloe and Mallow shout their usual positive encouragement, feeling really blessed to have them around.

Up in the VIP section, things are slightly different. The two moms are still there obviously, both beaming proud smiles down at her. However joining them today, Palmero and Aria sit next to them. Aria pumps a fist and gives Serena an encouraging smile, whist Palermo doesn't break her usual calculated look as she gives Serena a small nod.

The current Kalos queen feels herself becoming even more determined to impress today. Her two mentors in the performance field are sat up in the stands with her two biggest inspirations in life. She focuses in on that situation as she gives them a determined nod.

Suddenly, she feels a small warm breeze travel up her spine as she feels her heart flutter. As if it was magic, she hears the sweet voice of her boyfriend ring out in her head"Go and show them how awesome you are Serena. Show everyone why your the Kalos queen!"

Upon hearing Ash's voice, Serena's confidence practically triples. She closes her eyes and focuses her aura as she flashes to his point of view. She takes a quick glance as she notices that Ash is watching in the same spot as yesterday, ready to cheer her on.

That's all she really needs. Ash is behind her and ready to give her all his support. She opens her eyes back up and disconnects her aura as a bright confident smile plasters her face.

Up in the VIP section, Aria smiles and exclaims "She looks confident and relaxed."

Grace nods in agreement and adds "She seemed really relaxed this morning, I think she's ready to go all out."

Palermo keeps her serious look on her face as she comments "You can be over relaxed too. I just hope she doesn't get over confident."

Delia bubbles a little at the sight of Serena on stage, ready to perform live in person. She holds back an excited squeal as she shouts "Go Serena!"

Back on stage, Monsieur Pierre places the microphone up to his lips as he exclaims "Now, it's time to announce the stipulation for this performance!"

The crowd all murmur with a mixture of excitement and tension as they await the news.

Pierre plays the crowd as he makes them wait before announcing "The stipulation behind this performance is simple. Each performer will put on a one Pokémon performance. However, we are going to take a leaf out of yesterday's book. We're going to decide your Pokémon with the spin wheel!"

Suddenly, 3 wheels drop down from the ceiling as the crowd cheer in response.

Pierre chuckles a little before he continues "Now then, let's spin the first wheel!"

The crowd cheer as the first wheel spins around as the first performer gets her pokemon selected. She goes on to give her best performance, followed on by the other girl as well.

After 10 minutes, Serena's two opponents have both done their performances. The crowd cheers and brews in anticipation as they wait for Serena's turn.

Monsieur Pierre places an excited grin on his face as he shouts "Two Magnique performances so far, now let's see what the Kalos queen can do! Let's spin the wheel!"

The spin wheel begins to spin round, flickering over all of Serena's registered pokemon as the crowd waits with anticipation filling the air. The wheel spins around for a few second more before a small gasp fills the air as the wheel comes to a stop.

The pokemon the wheel has landed on is unusual to the Alolan public to say the least.

Serena looks up and sees it as her eyes widen slightly. The pokemon she'll be using is Applin.

The crowd continue to murmur in a mixture of shock and confusion as they begin to wonder how Serena could possibly perform with a pokemon like that.

Up in the stands, Kiawe raises an eyebrow and questions "Has Serena even trained with Applin?"

Chloe sighs before she explains "A little, but nothing advanced. She wasn't planning on using him really."

Mallow places a serious look on her face as she comments "Then Serena's got a tough task ahead of her."

In the VIP section, Delia frowns slightly and exclaims "I didn't even know Serena had an Applin."

Grace nods and explains "She only recently caught him. He's not really trained properly yet."

Palmero hears the news and shakes her head as she remarks nonchalantly "Then she's overconfident like I said. If he can't perform yet then she shouldn't have been so naive as to register him for the competition."

Aria chuckles a little, clearly having heard these sorts of statements before, as she exclaims "Let's not count Serena out to soon. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

In Galar, Hop frowns a little and questions "How do you try and perform with an Applin?"

Ash let's a bright smile drift to his face as he exclaims with his usual enthusiasm "I have no idea. But I'm sure Serena does! I can't wait to see what she comes up!"

Back on stage, while not quite as confident as Ash, Serena feels a quiet determination run through her veins. While Applin wouldn't have been her first choice, she's the pokemon she's been given.

While he has no experience, the only training Serena has done with him is one on one. If she can mask his inexperience, she can pull this off.

She places a bright smile on her face as she takes a pokeball from her dress pocket. She throws the pokeball forward as she shouts "Applin I choose you!"

The pokeball flies in the air before landing on the stage as Applin emerges. The apple pokemon looks around for a second as he scans his surroundings.

Upon seeing such a large crowd of people, Applin instantly feels nerves run through his body as he leaps up into the safety of his trainer's arms.

Serena smiles down at her new Galarian pokemon reassuringly as she exclaims in a soft tone "It's okay Applin. All those people are here to see just how great you are. It's okay to be nervous, I still get nervous too. Let's take things slow okay. All you need to do is exactly what we practiced. As long as we try our best, we have no reason to be upset okay?"

Applin hears Serena's soft voice and instantly feels reassured. He turns around in her arms and faces towards the crowd with a brave face, determined to put on a show.

Serena smiles at her new Pokémon's attitude as she exclaims "That's the spirit!"

The two of them get into position as Serena holds Applin in her arms. The two take a deep breath as they prepare to begin.

Monsieur Pierre takes his que as he announces with enthusiasm in his tone "Ladies and Gentleman, The Kalos queen Serena!"

The crowd roars as they wait for Serena to begin her performance with her odd pokemon. Suddenly music plays to symbolise that the performance is a go.

Serena instantly begins to improvise as she holds Applin in two hands, resting on her palms. She moves to the music, dancing to the tune as she uses her moves to wow the crowd. She dances with grace and elegance as she instantly grabs the crowd's attention.

Serena knows she's going to need to do the majority of the movement in this performance, while using Applin's moves sparingly as well.

Applin's literally learn about 8 moves, and only a few of them can really be used in a performance. This is easily Serena's biggest performing conundrum yet, but she's willing to take it on.

She continues to dance with Applin in her palms, keeping the crowd invested for as long as she can. Eventually, she makes her move, catching the crowd by surprise as she shouts "Now use grassy glide!"

Applin smiles as green glow envelopes him. Suddenly, a pair of green wings sprout up from his body. He flaps said wings and takes them both up into the air.

The crowd roars as Applin flies Serena around in the air. They can't believe that a small Pokémon such as Applin is actually dragging Serena through the air.

Serena uses Applin like a para glider, zipping through the air while laughing and smiling to crowd. The crowd are instantly in captured by that smile as they smile and have fun too, spurred on by the powerful smile of a performer.

Up in the stands, Chloe beams a bright smile as she shouts "Serena, how did you even think of that!?"

Mallow let's off a small chuckle before she replies "Innovation like that is just something comes naturally to her."

Serena continues to use her make shift para glider as she waves and smiles to the crowd. She points her hand out and orders with a small wink "Now Applin, use attract."

Applin smiles as the cute little apple winks towards the crowd, causing a few awwwws to ring out. Suddenly, small pink hearts scatter into the air, surrounding Serena and Applin in a sea of hearts as they continue to glide around the air.

This is part two of Serena's plan, use Applin's meaning as a theme for her performance. The theme she is going for is quite clearly love, symbolised by the many pink hearts shooting off through the air.

Applin and Serena continue to glide through the hearts with elegance as the crowd smile at the sight.

With the crowd completely captivated with her performance, Serena decides it's time to set up the grand finale. While it may be a little earlier than some of her other performances, that to her is the key to masking the lack of variety in Applin's moves.

The Kalos queen smiles and winks to the crowd as she shouts "Now Applin!"

Applin smiles as he glides through the set of hearts with a little more speed than usual, causing a draft of wind to shoot through the air. The draft pushes the hearts to towards the crowd, angled just so perfectly as to send the hearts scattering in between couples in the crowd.

The crowd let off loud cheers of satisfaction as they see the hearts scatter towards them.

Serena smiles at the crowd's reaction as she prepares to end this in style. She waits until she's positioned just over the stage before she lets go of the glider.

The crowd gasp a little as Serena falls from a small distance. She twirls through the air, doing a small twist and flip with the skill of an Olympic gymnast. She soon reaches the bottom of the stage, landing on two feet with no sort of backwards step at all.

The crowd roar with cheers for such an acrobatic manoeuvre, as the Kalos queen places a bright smile on her face.

Serena holds two hands out in front of her as Applin falls from the sky, landing softly in the palm of his trainer's hands.

Serena twirls with Applin in her hands as the music comes to its end. She sticks to her theme as she spins to face the crowd, while planting a small kiss on the apple pokemon's cheek in playful manner.

She winks to the crowd as she holds the smiling apple pokemon out in front of her and shouts "Ta da! And that's it!"

The crowd instantly erupt into applause, absolutely mesmerised by the performance Serena just put on as the hearts still linger around couples in the stands.

In the VIP section, Delia stands up and shouts at the top of her lungs "That was magical Serena!"

Grace claps as she adds "That was amazing dear!"

Aria smiles as she takes in the high level innovative performance from Serena. She turns her head towards her boss and questions with a small tease in her voice "So, is she overconfident now?"

Palmero can't help but let a small proud smile drift onto her face before quickly snapping back to her usual stoic expression. She looks down at the stage and nonchalantly remarks "It was a good performance given the circumstances. She had fun and so did the crowd. She needs more though if she wants to win today."

Aria lets off a knowing sigh and replies "You are so hard to impress you know that."

Up in the stands, hearts flutter above Chloe and Goh's heads, as well as Kiawe and Mallow.

Goh raises an eyebrow and questions "Why would Serena send hearts up here?"

Chloe hears the statement as her cheeks light up a rosy shade of red. She plays with her hands as she nervously stammers "Um, I....I d..don't ......k..know!"

Goh shrugs and nonchalantly remarks "Must have been a mistake then."

Mallow shakes her head as she looks down at the stage with a smirk and whispers "Serena you can be such a devil sometimes."

In the Galar region, Ash stands up and pumps a fist in the air as he shouts "Serena that was awesome!"

All his Pokémon respond with similar positive responses as they celebrate Serena's performance.

Hop lets a small smile drift onto his face as he comments "That performance was pretty unique to say the least. I guess that's how you mask your Pokémon's lack of experience. The theme makes perfect sense when you take in Applin's origins too."

Ash smiles brightly as he watches his girlfriend on the tv screen. He lets off a small chuckle before he exclaims "Yeah I didn't even think about that. It's a pretty cool detail. Man I just love watching Serena perform!"

Hop chuckles a little at Ash's clear love for his girlfriend as he replies "You really do like her."

Ash nods and exclaims with clear admiration in his tone "I love her, more than I'll ever be able to tell you Hop. I'm sure you'll understand when your a little older."

Back on stage, Serena curtsies to the crowd before taking a step back to stand with her fellow performers.

Monsieur Pierre takes centre stage as he raises the microphone to his mouth and exclaims "What an opening performance by the Kalos queen. But will it be enough to get her through to round two. Well we're about the find out, the voting starts now!"

Members of the audience raise their glow casters in the air as they begin to cast their votes for their favourite. Pink orbs quickly fly towards the key on Serena's dress as the heart above her head fills up at a moderate pace. The hearts continue to fly in as the votes from around the world add to the total.

Eventually, the orbs stop as the votes finish totalling up. Serena's heart stops filling up at around 70% of the vote, making her the clear winner.

Monsieur Pierre confirms this as he announces "The performer moving on to round 2 is, the Kalos queen Serena!"

The crowd bursts into cheers as they roar in appreciation for the fan favourite.

Serena places a bright smile on her face as she holds Applin tight and shouts "We did it Applin! You were amazing!"

Applin smiles at his trainer's praise as he leaps up and down in Serena's hands. Serena can't help but smile at her new Pokémon's successful debut as she returns him to his pokeball.

She talks to her two opponents for a second and gives them some advice before disappearing backstage to prepare for the rounds to come.
________________________________

The rounds continue to fly by as performance after performance lights up the Manolo arena. The rounds by quickly, as the themes of the performances continue to throw up a variety of surprises.

Serena is practically breezing through the rounds, using her performance experience to begin to close the distance in the standings. The mix of themes don't seem to bother her as no matter what, Serena seems to come up with the answers. Her variety of Pokémon keeps her ideas fresh and only helps her ability to adapt.

However despite scoring the most skill points, her job of closing in on the top 2 is not made easier by her peers performances.

May and Dawn constantly trade the lead as they battle back and forth to put on the best performances. While naturally both coordinators, they don't miss a beat when it comes to adapting to a new format.

While Serena is slowly closing in, she's still got a hell of a long way to go.

Zoe continues her strong start as she too hangs in there with the rest. She uses her experience to great effect, leaving her well in the mix too.

Drew makes it a 5 way fight for the lead as he continues to impress while making up for an early exit yesterday.

The chasing pack aren't too far behind either. The three Kalos girls: Miette, Shauna and Nini have seized their opportunity with both hands, quickly moving up the ranks in their preferred format.

Kenny and Lizia keep up their form too, as they both move up in the rankings.

Eventually the semi finals come up as the final groups of 3 are drawn before the grand final.

In group one, Dawn is paired up against her old rival Zoe, and Miette for good measure.

In the second group, May gets the opportunity to face off against another competitor from Hoenn in Lizia. The final member of her group is Kenny who is determined to make up for his lost points yesterday.

The final group, Serena faces off with one of her best friends Shauna in another rematch. They are joined by Drew, who mumbles about his luck at getting drawn against two actual performers. In fact, the two best in that field currently if you go by the last master class.

The first group comes and goes as Dawn takes an extremely tight victory. She wins with just 36% of the vote, with Zoe taking 33% and Miette 31%

In then 2nd group, May takes the win with 40% of the vote. Lizia takes second with 31% whie Kenny takes 29%.

With the first two groups decided, the third group enter the stage as they prepare for their performances.

They are all given the theme which in this case is contrast.

Shauna goes first and sets the early bench mark, putting on a show which is possibly her best performance yet. The crowd roars in approval of her work as she receives the biggest cheer of the day so far.

Serena can't help but smile as she sees the crowd's reaction. She can tell Shauna has worked hard and her performance is better than any of her previous masterclass runs. In fact, that performance may have beaten May and Dawn's performances in the other semi finals. One things for certain, she'll be tough to beat.

Drew goes next and puts on a solid performance, but can't really match any of Shauna's skill. While what he does is good, he's clearly a more natural coordinator than performer.

That leaves Serena to go last as she steps forward with Primirina and Delphox by her side. She uses the two newly evolved starters contrasting elements to her advantage as she wows the audience with her skill.

She constantly clashes the two's water and fire attacks with great effect, while also not forgetting about their secondary typings too.

Eventually, Serena comes to the end of her performance as she dances into position. She smiles brightly as she extends her hand forward and commands "Delphox use mystical fire! Primirina use sparkling aria!"

Delphox nods as she twirls her magic wand around before firing off a magical swirl of fire into the air. Meanwhile, Primirina takes a deep breath before she she sings out a beautiful tune of blue sound waves, causing the crowd to cheer at such an angelic voice. The two attacks head towards each other before swirling around one and other. Suddenly, they burst in to blue and red sparkles that contrast perfectly.

Serena poses with her two starter pokemon as the sparkles rain down from either side of them. She smiles at the crowd and winks as she shouts "Ta da! That's it!"

The crowd instantly erupts into applause as they take in another magical performance from the Kalos queen.

On stage, Serena takes a few heavy breaths as she lets the adrenaline wash over her. She smiles and curtsies to the crowd, before making her way back to her spot to stand with her fellow performers.

Monsieur Pierre takes centre stage as he exclaims "What a Magnique set of performances that was. Now it's time to cast your votes for your favourites once again, let the voting begin!"

Orbs of all different colours flood the air as votes from the crowd storm towards the 3 performers on stage. Those orbs are soon joined by the app votes as even more orbs slam into the performer's keys.

Eventually, the final vote hits Shauna's key as the votes tally up.

Tension fills the air as Monsieur Pierre raises the microphone to his mouth.

He smiles before he enthusiastically announces "The final performer in our grand finale is.................."

"The Kalos Queen, performer Serena!"

The crowd roars with excitement as Serena is announced the winner with 47%of the vote. Shauna comes in a close second with 39% while Drew is a lonely third with just 14% of the total vote.

Serena beams a smile upon the declaration of her victory as she shouts "We won!" Delphox and Primirina smile as they both lock Serena in a hug. The 3 of them laugh and giggle as they begin to celebrate on stage.

In the stands, Chloe pumps a fist in the air and shouts "Yesss! Serena is in the final!"

Mallow smiles and adds "Not only that, but she also has had a good margin to second place. That'll help her in the standings."

Kiawe nods and finishes "We're in for a really tight finish."

Up in the VIP section, Delia beams a bright proud smile as she screams in excitement "Yes! Serena you did it!"

Aria can't help but let off a small chuckle at Delia's over the top reactions. She's acting like the embarrassing supporting mother perfectly, even if she's not Serena's mom! She can already tell that to Mrs Ketchum, Serena is like the daughter she always wanted.

She shakes that thought of for now as she smiles down at the stage and comments "It's funny, I remember Serena being a young girl with a little Fennekin, nervously performing at a pokemon centre. Now, she's a strong confident young lady lady with a fully evolved Delphox, about to compete in the final of the biggest competition of all time."

Grace nods in agreement with Aria's statement and adds "I agree, she's come such a long way since she started on her journey. I am so proud to call her my daughter."

Palmero let's a small drift onto her face as she exclaims "She's grown a lot and she's done well so far, but it's not over yet. May and Dawn are great competitors and will be tough to beat."

Delia nods in agreement as she adds "They sure are, my son travelled with them when he was younger. They are both talented young women."

Grace let's off a small chuckle as she replies with intrigue "I wonder how neutral Ash is staying."

Meanwhile in Galar, Ash leaps up from his seat and shouts "Yes! That's the way it's done Serena!"

All of Ash's Pokémon let off happy cries as they celebrate Serena's final's birth.

Hop smirks a little as he questions "So it's Serena against your two other friends in the final. Who are you rooting for?"

Ash smirks a little as he exclaims "Obviously I'm rooting for Serena. No matter who she's against I'm supporting her. Dawn and May are my friends but for the next few hours, I can't support them. I hope Serena shows them both that she's the better performer!"

Pikachu rubs the back of his head and thinks to himself "You might have over done that one Ash."

Back on stage, Serena and her pokemon break the embrace as Serena returns them to their pokeballs. She stops for a quick conversation with Shauna as the Kalos native wishes her friend good luck.

With that, Serena gives the crowd one last wave before she heads back to her pod. The pod lowers to the back stage area as Serena places an excited smile on her face. She's just one win and a few more skill points away from winning this whole competition in her head. While she doesn't know the official rankings yet, she knows she must be close to the top 2.

Speaking of the top 2, Serena steps out of her pod to be greeted by the now familiar sight of May and Dawn.

The Kalos queen places a small smile on her face as she questions "So, did you enjoy the show?"

Dawn nods as she replies with a small smirk on her face "You were pretty good out there."

Serena smirks back as she exclaims with a hint of playfulness in her tone "Thanks, and you two weren't bad either for two coordinators."

The 3 girls share a small laugh, allowing them to relax a little. They catch there laughter as May takes a small sigh and questions "So it all comes down to this?"

Dawn nods and adds "Looks like our lunch time talk came true."

Serena smiles and exclaims "Make sure you both leave everything you've got out on stage, because I'm not going to hold back."

The 3 girls look into each others eyes with determination etched onto their faces. Nothing else needs to be said as they all share a nod and head their separate ways to get ready for the final.
________________________________

Ten minutes pass by as the crowd waits while brewing in anticipation for the final round. So far this competition has been fierce, but it's time for the grand finale.

A spotlight shines down on the stage as Monsieur Pierre returns to his spot. The showcase host raises a microphone up to his face as he shouts "Bonjour pokemon lovers, and welcome to the final round of the Ultraclass pokemon showcase!"

The cheers and claps as they await the start of the final. Pierre lets the crowd die down before he continues "Now, I know your all excited to see the final round. But there's something we need to do first, we need to show the current rankings!"

The big screen in the arena flickers, before the standings flash up on screen.

The results certainly make for interest reading as the crowd discuss the situation. At the very top of the standings, May holds a slender lead over Dawn in 2nd place, but the lead is so marginal that a win in the last round would surely flip the two around.

Serena sits just behind in 3rd place, having moved up from her previous 5th position. She is a moderate distance behind the front two but definitely not unassailable. A win and some good skill points should lift her up to top spot.

Up in the stands, Chloe frowns a little as she complains "These judges are stupid. Serena should already be ahead of those two!"

Mallow chuckles a little at the young girl's reaction before she replies "Calm down Chloe. Serena is still in with a shout, that's all she needs."

Pierre takes a second to let the crowd take in the standing before he exclaims "As you can see, everything is still to play for come the final round. So without further ado, let's introduce our first performer!"

The crowd edge ever closer to the edge of their seats as they wait for the first performer to be introduced.

Monsieur Pierre places a smile on his face as he enthusiastically announces "Now performing first, from Petalburg city in the Hoenn region. She is known worldwide as the Hoenn princess. She is a 3X grand festival champion. Please welcome to the stage, Ms May Maple!"

The crowd roars in approval as a pod rises up to the stage. The door of the pod soon opens as the Hoenn native steps onto the stage.

May places a confident look on her face as she looks up into the crowd. She wears a ruby open stomach two piece dress, with a rather regal looking head dress.

She steps forward and takes her place, ready to give it her best shot. She holds 3 pokeballs in her hands which she throws in the air as she shouts "Beautifly, Glaceon, Wartortle, on stage!"

The pokeballs float into the air as the 3 pop open. A few seconds later: Beautifly, Glaceon and Wartortle all emerge on stage as they prepare to perform.

With May and her pokemon in position, music starts as they begin their performance.

May starts her performance with some basic dance movements before she kicks into gear. Her first play is to order Beautifly to pick up Wartortle and lift him up into the air. Her bug type Pokémon does as asked as she lifts Wartortle high up into the air.

May spins around as she orders for Wartortle to spin and use bubble beam. Wartortle does so as he fires bubbles that spread all along the arena.

May gets her Glaceon to freeze with ice beam, before using Wartortle's rapid spin to send sparks of ice through the arena.

That sort of pattern continues for the majority of May's performance as she uses her pokemon's attacks to create some impressive combinations. She constantly keeps the crowd engaged as she uses the effects of the attacks to wow the audience.

Her and her pokemon constantly smile as they continue with their performances, all having fun out on stage.

With her performance going as well as it has, May decides to go for a big stunt for her finale. She orders her Wartortle to use hydro pump and her Beautifly to use psychic. Wartortle sprays water from his shell while Beautifly controls the path with psychic.

Beautifly uses psychic to control the path of the water, moulding it into the shape of a gem. She then orders her Glaceon to use blizzard, freezing over the gem completely. From a far, the giant ice gem could be mistaken for an ice blue sapphire.

May and her pokemon pose in position as the massive gem explodes into a bunch of mini ice gems that scatter into the crowd.

May smiles brightly as she shouts "And we're finished!"

The crowd instantly roar in applause as they show their appreciation for May's performance. While performing was meant to be a weaker subject for her, a round like this might have just secured her first place.

Up in the stands, Goh catches one of the ice gems and looks at it with intrigue. He scratches his chin a little as he mumbles "Hm, I wonder if I could use this to power up ice type moves."

Chloe rolls her eyes at her class mates stupidity as she moans "Seriously, we just watched an elite performance and your worrying about pokemon battles."

Goh scratches the back of his head nervously and replies "Sorry, I kind of got distracted."

Mallow rubs her shoulders a little as she comments "That ice gem thing was pretty cool, but it's made the arena a little cold."

Kiawe's teeth chatter a little as he nods and remarks "I miss the volcano."

Up in the VIP section, Aria places a smile on her face as she comments "May did a really great job of incorporating her pokemon's strengths into her performance."

Delia nods in agreement and exclaims "No kidding, her level of technique is extraordinary. This final round is going to be of high quality."

Palermo hears Delia's statement and raises an eyebrow in suspicion as she questions "You talk like one of my analysts. Are you sure your not a former performer or something."

Delia shakes her head and replies "No not me, I'm just an avid showcase fan. I have been since I was a kid. I must admit something, I used to watch you perform when I was younger. You were the Kalos queen before Ash was born. I used to see you do things on stage and then try to replicate them."

Palermo let's a small smile rise up onto her face, satisfied with being recognised for her work. She turns towards the younger woman and exclaims "Thank you, it's always nice to hear stuff like that."

In the Galar region, Ash takes a small sigh before he remarks "May really has grown strong. I'm pretty proud of how far she's come since we first met, even if I would never admit that to her."

Back on stage, May thanks her pokemon before she returns them all to her pokeballs. She waves to the crowd and gives them a small curtsy before walking to the side of the stage to wait and watch her fellow performers.

Monsieur Pierre walks back and takes centre stage as the crowd listens back in. The showcase host lets a smile drift back onto his face before he exclaims "What a magnifique performance by the Hoenn princess, please give her another round of applause."

The crowd claps loudly again, showing May one last show of appreciation. The crowd soon quiet as they wait with anticipation for the second performer to enter.

Monsieur Pierre makes the crowd wait a second longer, before he announces with enthusiasm in his tone "Now for the second performer. She is a 2x grand festival winner. She is the daughter of one of the greatest coordinators of all time. From Twinleaf town in the Sinnoh region. Please welcome, Miss Dawn Berlitz!"

The crowd roars with noise as a pod rises up onto the stage. The door to the pod soon springs open as Dawn steps out onto the stage with a confident look on her face.

The girl from Sinnoh wears a puffy pink dress with her hair styled and curled up. She takes out 3 pokeballs from her pocket as she holds them in her hands. She smiles up at the crowd and shouts "Piplup, Quilava, Loppuny, spotlight!"

She throws the 3 pokeballs gracefully through the air  before they pop open. Piplup, Quilava and Loppuny emerge onto the stage as they stand with their trainer ready to perform.

In the Galar region, Ash places a bright smile on his face as he remarks "So Dawn's Bunneary evolved into Loppuny."

Pikachu looks up at the screen and shivers a little, remembering the obsession Buneary used to have over him.

He can only hope the Sylveon doesn't learn about that, or there could be a fight on the horizon. That battle would probably make his own vs Sivally look like a route one beginners battle.

Back on stage, Dawn stands with her pokemon, ready to perform as music starts to play.

Dawn and her pokemon begin their performance their as they dance around the stage to get into position.

The Sinnoh native soon kicks things off as she commands her Piplup to use bubble beam and her Loppuny to use ice beam. They both fire off attacks as they collide together, freezing up the bubbles in an icy white as they float around the arena.

Dawn tells Quilava to use flamethrower, melting the bubbles into drops of rain water. Piplup absorbs the water into a whirlpool, before Quilava uses a flamethrower to create a pseudo fiery whirlpool.

Loppuny uses the environment to her advantage as she uses quick attack to dash through the whirlpools, wowing the crowd with her speed and agility.

Dawn continues to impress the crowd as she continues to call for more combination attacks. However, she also in corporates plenty of movement in to her performance to keep the crowd guessing. The whole time she keeps smiling with her pokemon, causing the crowd to smile with them.

Her performance goes on for a few minutes longer, hitting all the quality requirements that you would expect from this level of the competition. Overall Dawn's performance is nothing short of phenomenal, and might even be better than May's.

The grand finale comes quickly as Dawn and her pokemon pose while fireworks shoot of behind her. The Sinnoh native spins around and smiles brightly as she shouts "It's all over!"

The crowd roar with cheers as noise echoes throughout the room. Clearly the Alolan public are pretty impressed with her performance as noise continues to fill the air.

Up in the stands, Chloe beams a smile and exclaims "I feel so honoured to get to watch these performances live, I've got so many ideas of how I need to improve."

Kiawe smiles at Chloe's attitude and wisely remarks "Trust me, watching and learning is one of the best things you can do. I've watched a ton of Ash's battles and in turn that made me a better battler."

Up in the VIP section, Grace smiles a little as she comments "This Dawn girl is pretty great I must say. I can tell she's trained hard."

Palermo nods as she explains "Her mother was a famous coordinator back in her day. She's legend of this business. Dawn over here was born to be on stage."

Back in the Galar region, Ash smiles a little as he exclaims "That was great Dawn, you've come a long way since we last met. Although as great as you are, Serena is still going to win this!"

In the Sinnoh region watching from her house in Twinleaf town, Johanna places a bright smile on her face as she watches her daughter on stage. She takes a sip of tea as she comments "You make me so proud Dawn, I couldn't be happier for you. Maybe, you are better than me."

Back on stage, Dawn smiles with her pokemon before she returns them to their pokeballs. She places them back in her pockets before she waves and curtsies to the crowd.

She soon walks to the side of the stage to stand with May. The two girls share a small hug as they whisper to each other about their performances.

The crowd sit with anticipation filling the air, as they wait for the final performer to arrive.

Monsieur Pierre soon takes centre stage as he lets the crowd build into a crescendo of tension. He soon raises the microphone up to his lips as he exclaims "What an amazing performance by Dawn. I think another round of applause is in order."

The crowd roars and cheers in appreciation for Dawn's performance before they silence as they wait for the final performer to be introduced.

Pierre makes the crowd wait an agonising few seconds longer, only adding to the anticipation in arena. He soon raises the microphone to his face as he enthusiastically announces "Now, it's time for our final performance of the evening! From
Vaniville town in the Kalos region! She is the reigning Kalos queen and a grand festival champion! Please welcome to the stage, Mademoiselle Serena Yvonne!"

The crowd erupt into cheers as noise echoes throughout the outdoor arena. The noise only grows as a large pod rises up to the stage. The pod door opens as Serena steps out and onto the stage.

She is soon followed by her selected team for her final performance of the day. Sylveon, Delphox, Pancham, Altaria and Primirina, follow their trainer out on to the stage.

The crowd soon cheer more their eyes fixate on the Kalos queen and her pokemon.

Since it's the last round, Serena and her pokemon have changed their outfit style up a bit. Serena stands in an all white dress with a similar design philosophy to the one Valerie gave her years ago, except a lot more polished and tidy than the previous one. The dress ends just above the end of her thighs, shorter than her usual choice of performance outfit. Her legs are bare without the need for the usual black stockings or leggings. On her feet sit a pair of white dance like shoes, of course designed by Valerie as well. Her earrings and necklace are still in tact in their usual places, while her blue ribbon sits tied to the top of the dress. Her hair is nicely made up and her face sparkles, glittered with the highest quality of make up. If you could describe the look in one word, it would be angelic.

Serena's pokemon all take up the same sort of style as well, wearing white fluffy dresses or in Pancham's case a white suit.

The crowd all stare in awe of the Kalos queen's beauty, completely captivated by her look.

In the crowd, Mallow places a small smirk on her face and casually remarks "Looking good Serena."

Chloe squeals a little in excitement as she shouts "She looks so beautiful!"

Up in the VIP section, Aria places a bright smile on her face as she comments "Serena looks amazing. I knew she would be great to represent Valerie's new line. I must admit as well Mrs Ketchum, your quite the fashionista."

Delia smiles at the compliment and replies "Thanks Aria, although I must admit it's easier to pick clothes for Serena because that girl looks good in every style. She's such a pretty young lady."

Grace let's off a small chuckle as she nonchalantly remarks "Well I don't like the dress, which means it must be good."

Palermo places a less than impressed look on her face as she looks down at Serena's outfit choice. While she admits that she does look good, there is a glaring flaw in it from a former Kalos queen's perspective.

She shakes her lead a little as she exclaims "That dress is too short and too revealing. A Kalos queen should be more modest with her choice of clothing."

Aria sighs, having heard Palermo's traditionalist views before. She shakes her head a little as she responds "It's not even short Palermo."

Delia nods and adds "I agree, she's not even showing off that much. Just her legs really. I've seen plenty of performers go shorter today. Plus you know what they say, if you got it then flaunt it."

Palermo keeps her stone cold look as she exclaims "I'm not saying she's showing anything off, but it is a tradition for a Kalos queen to stay as covered up as possible. Personally, I like to manage my Kalos queens to stick to tradition.

Aria smirks a little as she replies with a hint of sass in her voice "While I'm in charge of the Kalos queen now. Me and Serena are going to change how things work around here to say the least."

In the Galar region, Ash sits on the sofa while staring at the tv screen. His eyes fill with love as he gazes closer at his girlfriend's look. His face lights up into a bright smile as he thinks to himself "Serena you look absolutely gorgeous. I almost can't believe how beautiful she actually is. I hate to use the word but she is so hot! Arceus, what did I do to deserve an angel like her."

Back on stage, Serena giggles a little as she secretly spies on her boyfriend's reaction to her look through aura. She knew he'd like it and think she looks like an actual angel, but it's nice for her confidence to see his loved up face.

She soon breaks from her secret aura connection as she springs her eyes open. She walks calculated towards centre stage, making sure not to step out of line at all.

Her pokemon join her as they stand either side of Serena. They take deep breaths as they prepare to perform for the final time today.

Once ready, Serena gives the producer a nod to switch on her new song.

The producer does as asked as she clicks a button on the sound system, starting Serena's music as her final performance officially begins.

The music starts slow as Serena and her pokemon begin some basic dance moves. The Kalos queen keeps her self stood still as she swings her hips and moves her arms to the slow tune of the initial beat.

The crowd find themselves becoming drawn in by her movements but as a little suspicious of such a slow start. Usually Serena's performances are high energy and fast pace but today, it seems as though she's going for a more methodical performance.

The lyrics of the song kick in as Serena's voice echoes throughout the arena. Upon hearing the lyrics, Serena decides that now is the time to kick into gear as she commands "Altaria use dazzling gleam, and Prirmrina use sparkling aria!"

Altaria flies gracefully into position as she spreads her wings wide and fires off a dazzling pink light through the air. At the same time, Primirina smiles as she begins to sing along to the music in tune, wowing the crowd with her angelic voice. Blue sound waves soon follow, created from her signing, sending them crashing towards the dazzling light. The two attacks slam into each other, creating a controlled explosion of blue and white sparkles that dazzle the crowd.

Serena smiles as she extends her hand out and commands "Now, Delphox use mystical fire and Sylveon use moonblast."

Delphox spins into position as she pulls out her magic wand. She swirls it around in air, before shooting a beautiful magical swirl of fire into the air. Sylveon extends her ribbon feelers out as she leaps up into the air while forming a pink moon in the air. She sends the pink orb up into the sky, hitting the previous flame in an attempt to merge the two together. The flame sucks inside of the moon, causing it to turn into a massive blood red moon that hangs in the air. The crowd sit in awe at such a sight as Serena makes a strong start to her performance.

With everything in place, Serena take a deep breath as she decides to unleash her master plan. The plan that she feels will earn her enough still points to pass May and Dawn. She looks dead into the crowd as she exclaims with a bright smile "Pancham use stone edge!"

Pancham backflips into position as he slams a fist against the ground. Suddenly, stone like pillars rise up from the stage below. The pillars lift Serena and all her individual pokemon into the air as they all line up.

The red blood moon shines brightly in the background, directly behind Serena in the centre of the line of pillars. She takes a deep breath as the music begins to reach its chorus.

She places her head down and looks directly at her feet below as she prepares for the big reveal. She moves her hand up to the top of her dress, grasping her blue ribbon.

Suddenly a glow shines out from Serena's ribbon, completely blinding the crowd as the light beckons against the blood moon. Suddenly, the light dims a little as the crowd gasp in awe at what they are witnessing.

By seemingly magic, a pair of white wings with a red tint sprout up and form on what looks like Serena's back. The wings perfectly match Serena's look as she stands with her back to the blood moon, looking like an actual angel.

The crowd roar with cheers as they stare at the angel in disguise. Serena holds her hands out wide as she looks into the crowd. Suddenly, her wings flap aggressively as the blood moon explodes into little sparkles that rush towards the crowd.

As the sparkles pass over Serena a few stick onto her dress, giving her white angelic outfit a small red tint.

With her plan fully set up, Serena decides to put the people out of their misery. While pretending that she's actually grown wings is fun, it's time to wow the people even more.

Suddenly, the Kalos queen is swept off her feet as the culprit behind the wings steps forward. She scoops Serena up onto her back, before standing in clear view for the world to see.

The crowd gasp and marvel at the sight of a shiny mega Absol, with the theme of Serena's performance clear as day for all to see.

Serena smiles bright at the crowd's reaction as she begins faze  two of her performance. She extends her arms out either side of herself as she commands "Sylveon use fairy wind and Primirina use icy wind."

Sylveon nods as she leaps up into the air while extending her ribbon feelers out. She fires off a pink wind the sensually flows through the air. Primirina takes a big deep breath before firing off an icy blue wind. The icy blue flutters through the sky, quickly forming with the pink wind as they create a perfectly contrasting wind that breezes throughout the arena.

The two wind attacks blow through the air and quickly pick up Pancham, the panda pokemon drifts through air before landing on Serena's shoulder.

Serena smiles as she excitedly shouts "Now everyone, up in the air!"

Serena's four remaining Pokémon not using wind based attacks respond. Absol leaps off the platform straight into the two strong winds, while Altaria swoops up Delphox and flies around with her on her back. Serena must admit, she's had no time to test this part since Braxien evolved into Delphox, but it looks like Altraria can handle her extra size as predicted.

The crowd roars with cheers as they watch the five of them fly through the air, all made even more impressive by the angel themed outfits. Abosl rides the wind with her wings, allowing her to glide, while Altraria gracefully flutters into position.

Serena smiles brightly as she shouts "Now Delphox!" Delphox instantly knows what to do as she takes her magic wand out and lights it up. Altraria flies around faster with the current on her back as Delphox keeps her wand lit. The flames from the wand spread behind them and start to burn a shape into the air.

Altraria flies around majestically as she completes her half of the journey. Once she does, she gestures to Delphox who takes her wand and throws it over towards Pancham. The panda Pokémon catches the wand, holding it with one hand while grasping Serena's with the other. He swings down off Serena's hand, riding just below her as Absol continues to ride the wind attack as she completes the other half of the shape, with Pancham lighting the fire behind them.

They complete their half of the shape as the two flyers pass by each other. Pancham passes the wand back to Delphox as the shape completely form. The crowd stand up and applaud as they see a silhouette of a candy, burning into the sky.

Serena departs from Absol's back as she lands in the middle of the stage. Altaria and Delphox land next her while Absol and Pancham land on her far left. On the far right, Primirina and Sylveon position themselves as they wait for the final command.

Serena smiles to the crowd as she throws her arms out and commands "Use dark pulse and moonblast combination!"

Absol and Pancham nod as they both fire off two dark purple hexagonal beams diagonally up towards centre stage. Meanwhile, Primirina and Sylveon both form a pink orb before joining them together to create one pink moon. They fire the moon up, straight in the direction of the two dark pulses.

The two attacks steam towards each other and slam into each other, angled perfectly to create a controlled explosion. The moons split into pink and purple candy shape orbs, causing the crowd to gasp in awe as small candies drift into their hands.

Serena and her pokemon all slide into centre stage as the music begins to end. The flaming candy still hangs in the air before bursting into blood red sparkles. The sparkles scatter down on Serena and her pokemon as they all pose together. A bright smile fills the Kalos queen's face as she throws her arms out and announces "Ta da! And that's it!"

The crowd instantly break into rapturous applause as the arena rises to their feet. The noise deafens as the crowd show their appreciation for Serena's work, easily earning her the loudest cheer of the day.

The Kalos queen looks up at her hand in the air, reflecting off the spotlight as she takes big deep breaths. She continues to pant while almost drunkenly smiling as she thinks to herself "That was so much fun! I think that's the best performance I've ever put on. No matter what the result is now we gave it everything we had. I have no regrets."

Up in the stands, Chloe squeals a little before she screams "Serena is so cool!"

Surprisingly, Goh has a similar reaction as he shouts "A shiny mega Absol is so rare and so awesome!"

Mallow smiles down at the stage as she comments in a much more measured tone "Serena really did a great job out there."

Kiawe nods in agreement and adds "Mega evolution is so difficult to achieve, she should be proud."

In the VIP section, Delia and Grace both spring to their feet as they cheer loudly for Serena. Delia places a bright smile on her face as she screams "Serena that was amazing dear!"

Grace masks a similar smile as she shouts "That's my daughter down there! I'm so proud!"

Aria smiles brightly at the two motherly reactions, so happy that Serena has such a positive support team behind her. With most 18 year old girls with the amount of fame and success as Serena does, she would be concerned about it going to her head and getting her involved in some shady stuff. Thankfully with the support of her family and friends behind her, Serena will never have to worry about that.

She turns towards her boss and remarks with a small smirk on her face "Now, if Serena was using her usual dress then that performance would be less effective. Let me handle the fashion and you handle the organisation."

Palermo shakes her head a little as a noticeable smile rises up onto her face. She takes a small sigh before she admits "Okay, I'll leave it all to you."

In the Galar region, Ash practically dances around the room as he laughs and celebrates with his pokemon. He pumps a fist in the air and enthusiastically shouts "That was so awesome Serena! That's my girl right there! I'm so proud of her! She is the best!"

Hop can't but laugh at Ash's clear enthusiasm for his girlfriend before he comments "She was really good. Her performance was cool and her singing was great too."

Ash smiles as he hears Hop's praise for his girlfriend's performance and singing. Her song was just as great as her performance, and the lyrics she used.

It's at the moment that realisation hits Ash. He smiles brightly as he thinks to himself "Those lyrics, that song was a confession of her love towards me. She said she wrote it when she traveled Hoenn, probably before we got together. Everything she sang was about me and how she wanted us to be together, how she wanted me to see her. How she wanted to be more than a candy girl. Well since she wrote that, pretty much everything she sang has come true. We've walked through the streets hand in hand with her dolly pink cheeks. She has protected me and swooped in when I was in trouble. Since we've been together like she said, we have been unbeatable. I can't believe her song came true as well as it did. That must be a sign of our true love right. I've definitely showed her every last bit of my love, just like she wanted."

Back on stage, Serena catches her breath as she looks into the capacity crowd, still cheering in appreciation of such an elegant performance.

She gives the crowd one last curtsy, before she takes a step back with her pokemon still by her side. She is soon joined by May and Dawn as the 3 girls line up to hear the results.

Monsieur Pierre soon takes centre stage with his usual microphone in hand. He smiles brightly towards the crowd before he exclaims enthusiastically "What an amazing performance by the Kalos queen! She has done it again, the first to ever use mega evolution during a showcase performance. I must say pokemon lovers, that deserves another applause."

The crowd seem to agree with Pierre's opinion as they stand and give the Kalos queen another applause.

Once the applause dies down, the crowd wait with anticipation in the air for Pierre to begin the voting process.

Monsieur Pierre smiles as he continues "Now before we begin the public vote, I think it's only right that we update the standings first with the skill points gained from the final round. The judges have made their decision and have scored all 3 of these beautiful, and talented performers. So with out further ado, let's add the skill points to our current standings."

The current standing flash up on screen before the skill points are added. Suddenly, the judges decision comes in as the skill points from the final round are added. The tally's soon shoot up, as the crowd gasps in shock before letting off excited cheers.

The judges have made their choices, gifting May with 200o points to take her total up to 150,000. They award Dawn with 3000 points to take her total up 150,00. Finally, they award Serena a whopping 5000 points to take her total up to 150,000 as well.

The room practically shakes with excitement upon seeing the 3 girls tied for first place with an impressive points total. The experts at the start of this event predicted a winning total of 120,000 points, so a total of 150,000 is impressive to say the least.

Monsiuer Pierre lets the crowd calm a little before he exclaims "Well, after two days of intense competition it's all tied up between our 3 remaining competitors. It all comes down to our public vote!"

The crowd roars as 3 hearts appear above the 3 girl's heads. A pink one above Serena, a red above May and a blue one above Dawn.

Monsieur Pierre chuckles a little before he announces "Your votes will decide the first winner of the ultra class competition and the Alola queen. Please cast your votes using your glow casters, or by voting on the showcase app. Now pokemon lovers, let the voting begin!"

The votes quickly fly in as orbs of the 3 mentioned colours fly towards the keys attached to the 3 girl's dresses.

In the crowd: Kiawe, Mallow and Chloe instantly cast their votes for Serena. Seeing as Goh clearly didn't get the memo, Chloe decides to steal his glow caster and cast a vote on his behalf.

In the VIP section: Delia, Grace, Aria and even Palermo less enthusiastically, turns their glow casters pink and cast their vote for Serena.

In Galar, Ash instantly casts his for his girlfriend at lighting pace. Hop soon follows suit and casts his vote too.

At Professor Oaks lab, the Professor himself casts his vote for Serena while watching with Ash's Pokémon.

Gary watches on a live stream on his phone while on a research project in the Sinnoh region. He quickly clicks the option to vote for Serena while continuing on his way.

Lillie and Gladion trek up a snowy mountain as they search for their father. As they do, Lillie watches the show on her phone and casts in her vote.

In the Kalos region, Professor Sycamore and his lab assistants quickly cast their vote for Serena.

Back stage at the showcase, all the other competitors watch on the backstage monitor as they send their votes in.

In the Petalburg city gym, May's family all send in their votes for her.

In his lab in Littleroot town, Professor Birch casts his vote in for the girl he gave her first Pokémon.

A similar situation occurs in the Sinnoh region as Professor Rowen places a vote in for Dawn.

Paul walks through the streets with his hands in his pockets until he feels a buzz in his pocket. He stares at the notification for a second before he clicks a button on his phone to send in a vote. He shrugs before he places the phone back in his pocket and continues on his way.

Johanna places a proud smile on her face as she casts in a vote for her daughter.

The votes continue to slam towards the three performers as they all stand on stage with intense looks on their faces.

Suddenly, the last orb slams into Serena's key as the voting comes to a close.

The 3 hearts fill up before coming to a stop as the votes are counted.

Monsiuer Pierre places a bright smile on his face as he announces "Your winner, and the first ever Ultra class winner is..............."

"PERFORMER SERENA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The crowd erupt with noise as a spotlight beams straight down on the first ever Alola queen.

Serena stands in shock as her eyes widen, not instantly able to process what just happened. She shakes her head a little as she mutters "We won?"

Realisation hits her all at once as she squeals in delight before leaping in the air and shouting "We won!!!"

Serena's pokemon all respond in a similar way as they leap into her hug their trainer. They knock her to the ground thanks to the force as they all embrace in a group hug. They are soon joined by Applin and baby Pikachu as they emerge from their pokeballs to join the celebrations.

Up in the stands, Chloe losses herself a little as she leaps up from her seat in celebration. Unable to control herself, she dives towards Goh and locks him in an embrace as she shouts "Serena won!"

Goh's cheeks instantly light up red from the sudden hug as he feels his body freeze. He lets off a nervous laugh before he awkwardly remarks "Um Chloe, your squishing me."

Chloe gasps in shock as she realises she's hugging her classmate! She leaps off of him and buries her face in her hands, too embarrassed to say anything.

Mallow and Kiawe let off a small chuckle at the two children's expense before they turn their attention back to the stage. Kiawe let's a small smirk drift to his face before he comments "It looks like Alola has a new queen."

Mallow giggles a little before she replies "She was the queen as soon as Ash became the champion, it's only now that the whole world knows it."

Up in the VIP section, Delia rises up to her feet and screams "She did it!!"

Grace is quick to follow her as she shouts "Congrats my baby girl! Your the best!"

The two mom's barley contain their excitement as they find themselves squealing before sharing a quick celebratory hug.

Aria places a bright smile on her face and exclaims "Congratulations Serena, you were amazing!"

Palermo leans back in her chair a little more as a peaceful feeling drifts over her. She places a smile on her face before she whispers "I'm so proud of the young woman you're growing into Serena. One day, your going to be the best Kalos queen the world has ever known."

In the Galar region, Ash pumps a fist in the air as he shouts at the top of his lungs in celebration "YES!!!!! Serena did it!!! She's so amazing! That's my girl! She's the best!!!! What performance!!! Let's go!!!!!!!!"

Ash's Pokémon all have a similar reaction to their trainer as they cheer and celebrate while leaping around the room.

Hop places a small smile on his face as he sees Ash celebrate his girlfriend's big victory. He looks up at the tv screen and comments "Looks like Serena is the queen of two regions now."

Ash smiles even brighter as his cheeks swell with pride. She look at his girlfriend, hugging her pokemon on the screen and exclaims "Yeah she is, and I couldn't be prouder of her"

The Alola champion feels the urge to congratulate the new Alola queen as he takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and focuses his aura as he slowly starts to establish a connection.

Back on stage, Serena continues to embrace her pokemon as small tears of joy swell in her ears. She sniffs back a tear as she mutters in a voice filled with emotion"Your all so amazing. Thank you so much."

Serena's pokemon embrace her even tighter as they show their trainer their undying affection. While she may be modest and put the success down to them, she is the one who's trained and supported them to be as good as they are.

They all stay in an embrace for a little while longer before they break apart. Serena takes a small breath as she rises back up to her feet. As she does, her heart flutters with love as she hears a familiar voice ring out "Congratulations Serena! You were so awesome! Just watching you perform is so special. I always call you my angel but today you were an angel in more ways than one. I can't wait to see you again so I can give you be big hug and a celebratory kiss!"

Serena feels her cheeks heat up as she hears Ash's loving message. A bright smile coats her face as she focuses her aura to reciprocate his connection. She closes her eyes fully and replies in a soft tone "Thank you Ash, but I couldn't have done any of this without your support. You give me the courage to go on stage and perform like this everyday. If it wasn't for you, I could never have used mega evolution in my performance today. I love you so, so, so, so so much!"

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's last sentence before he exclaims "I love you too Serena, as your song says it's ultimate love. Enjoy your celebrations now and I'll speak to a little later when your in private. Then when we're back in Kanto, we're going to celebrate together!"

Serena bubbles inside from Ash's words. Not only did he actually listen to her lyrics, but he understood them as well! She can't wait for this celebration either and some time alone with her boyfriend after so long!

She beams a bright smile as she replies "I can't wait for it my love. I'll call you later. Love you!"

The two disconnect as Serena stands on the stage with an obvious loving grin. While Ash may not be able to congratulate her in person right now, she definitely loves that he still managed to be the first to congratulate her anyway.

She continues to dream a little about her boyfriend until she hears a pattering of feet approaching. She looks to her left to spot May and Dawn approaching with two items in their hands. A tiara in May's, and a trophy in Dawn's

Serena smiles as she realises what's happened. A Pokémon showcase and contest representive were meant to be presenting the awards. However, it looks May and Dawn have other plans.

They approach Serena with beaming smiles as Dawn begins "Congratulations Serena."

May continues "You were the better woman today, and it looks your the best performer/coordinator in the world."

Serena shakes her head a little before she modestly replies "Thank you both, but I don't believe I am. You two pushed me harder than anyone else ever has before. The only reason I put on such a performance is because you two brought the best out of me. Today I may have won, but it could of gone either way. I still have so much to learn and improve on."

Dawn smiles at Serena's answer and exclaims "You brought the best out of us too, and that was the most fun I've had in years. I think we all learned a thing or two today."

May smirks a little as she requests in a slightly teasing tone "Now, can you lower your head a little so I can put this crown on your head."

Serena giggles a little as she lowers her head. May takes the opportunity and places the tiara down on Serena's head.

Serena raises her head back up as Dawn passes her a golden winners trophy. Serena hoists the trophy high above her head as the crowd roar with applause for this years Ultraclass winner.

Serena places the trophy down as she smiles towards May and Dawn while gesturing to them to come with her. The 3 girls link arms and make their way to the front of the stage, before curtseying together as the crowd roars in appreciation for the 3 of them and the show they've put on over the last 2 days.

The 3 girl's smile and wave to the crowd for a second longer before they all engage in an embrace.

Serena can't help but smile as she thinks everything over.

Her whole point of coming back to Alola was to prove that she can compete with the best in her field.

While she did that, she also gained so much more. New friends in Dawn and Chloe, a new technique in mega evolution, two new evolutions to her pokemon and memories that will last a lifetime.

The best part being, in 2 days time she gets to meet up with the man of her dreams again and bask in it all together.

She'll get to travel with him again and make more memories as one.

Expect on the way home, her luggage might be a little heavier than before.

And when she gets home to Pallet town.

There'll be some more silverware in the trophy cabinet.

Their trophy cabinet.

That right there, might be the very best feeling of them all!
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Word count: 22211

Well that's it folks for the ultra class.

So, what do you think of the concept?

I feel like it was a cool thing to explore, an ultimate competition for performers and coordinators.

It was pretty fun to write and it's cool to start building the relationships between May, Dawn and Serena.

Being real, we all know if they met in the anime they would have been a friendship trio.

Their personalities are so easy to mix and they have so much in common.

Obviously, this is just the start of their friendship and it's something that I'll continue to explore in future arcs.

Also, did you guys like the two performances I showed in full.

I'm not going to lie, I forget Applin only learned like 8 moves total before starting to write that section but I decided to commit to it still.

Anyway, the next chapter will be the last chapter in the split paths arc.

Ash will be taking on Bea in his final preseason Galar league battle, determined to avenge his loss in the previous battle.

Meanwhile, Serena spends her final day in Alola with friends, working on a secret project to bring everyone together.

However, what happens when they both come into conflict during their perspective adventures.

How will they over come their issues.

I guess you'll have to find out soon.

So on that note, please vote and comment on this chapter if you can because engagement always helps.

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