"Where is she? She said she'd be here at exactly 12:00 and its 12:03." I tapped my foot as I looked at the large town clock for the millionth time. Ash and I stood in the busy town square as we waited for the siblings to meet us.
"Serena, calm down. She'll be here." Ash put a hand on my shoulder. I paused what I was doing. He gave me a sympathetic smile and all my worries seemed to come undone. Why did he do this to me?
"Serena!" I heard a familiar voice call. My head perked up just in time to see Elaina sprinting towards us with her hands in the air as she waved. Her brothers struggled to keep up with her as they desperately yelled her name. When she stopped beside me her breaths were heavy and frequent.
"Elaina! Are you alright? Did you have anymore run ins with Bella?" I asked as I checked her face for bruises. You could never be quite sure with Elaina. She had a habit of picking fights.
"No." She frowned. "My brothers kept me locked up in the hotel room until you came."
"Thanks guys." I smiled gratefully at the twins.
"No problem. I wasn't going to be the one stopping her from having a fight anyway." Leon concluded. Elaina playfully punched her brother's arm before turning to me again.
"I'm so glad you came. They were keeping me captive like their prisoner. I was so bored!" She pouted at me but then it turned to a grin when she saw Ash. "You brought Ketchum with you." She gave me a menacing smile and a quick wink. "I want all the details of your trip here."
Oh no. I was in for a lot of trouble with that one. But I couldn't help but laugh at my friend. She was one of a kind.
"Sure, we'll have plenty of time to talk. I'm not letting you out of my sight anymore." I scolded her. She gave me a pleading frown.
"Not you too Serena! I'm not spending my whole journey locked up in a hotel room!" She cried.
"Don't worry." I giggled "I'm not going to lock you up in a hotel room. I'm just not letting you get into trouble again. From now on, I'm following you on your journey."
"Really!? That would be great Serena!" Elaina exclaimed in excitement. Her face lit up with the adventures to come. Unfortunately, Ash's face fell.
"Wait, you're going to travel with them." He asked, turning me around to face him.
"Yes Ash. It's what I've decided. Besides, I can't stay caged up in Lumiose city the whole time. That's pointless and I might as well be in Hoenn. Plus, I have to travel for my show cases and this is the perfect opportunity. I don't expect you to come with me. This is your vacation anyway." I looked down at the ground, I would love nothing more than for him to come with me again. But I couldn't hold him down to anything.
"Well then I'll come with you." He grinned at me. I looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Really?"
"Why not have another great adventure? You're right, I can't stay in Lumiose city the whole time so instead, I want to travel with you." He pumped a fist into the air. His words gave me a warm feeling.
"Thanks Ash. I'm sure it'll be fun." I gave him a wide grin.
"Yeah. We can also do some more tactics training, right Pikachu?" He looked at the yellow mouse Pokemon on his shoulders.
"Pika, Pi!" It yelled out in excitement causing a few giggles.
"So, what do we do now? I hope it doesn't involve locking me in a hotel room." Elaina butted in, her face slightly panicked at the idea.
"Humm..." I thought. "How about we go shopping?!"
Elaina cheered whereas the twins and Ash looked very unimpressed. I laughed at their unamused faces. At least Elaina and I could go shopping.
"That sounds great Serena!" Elaina celebrated.
"I'm going to do some training." Ash muttered while pulling his signature hat down.
"Me two"
"Me three."
Ash and the twins stalked off in the direction of the Pokemon center. But Leon quickly remembered something and raced back.
"Serena, can I please borrow Sylveon?" He pleaded me. I sighed, Leon couldn't seem to go through a training session without Sylveon. Apparently, my Pokemon was going to help him become the best Fairy type master in the world.
At least he had something to strive for.
"Sure Leon." I handed the boy my Pokeball "don't tire her out too much."
"I won't, I promise!" He shouted as he ran back to Aron and Ash.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go shopping!" Elaina took a hold of my wrist and dragged me down the street. We peacefully walked down boulevards and through small shopping centers, stopping to admire outfits through the window.
I looked at my troublesome friend as she gaped at a pink gown in a window display. She may be crazy and totally irrational at times, but she still gave me joy. My attention was suddenly caught again by the small blue ribbon in her hair. The one that was identical to mine.
"Elaina, where'd you get that ribbon?" I asked.
"You mean this one?" She made a thoughtful face as she pointed to the one in her hair.
"Yes. That one."
"My mother gave it to me right before I started my journey. She said she got it on her first date with my dad. Apparently, she was the first person to use a particular train station and they gave it to her as a gift." She explained. I was taken aback at first. The story was almost the same as mine.
"You see, I have a very similar one." I pointed to my collar where the delicate blue ribbon was tied neatly in a bow.
"Oh yeah! It's almost exactly the same." My friend admired the accent to my outfit with curiosity in her eyes. "How did you get yours?"
"H-how'd I-I get m-mine?" I stuttered, my cheeks flushing pink at the memory.
"That's what I asked, isn't it?" She gave me a strange look and cocked her head. She could tell I was acting weirdly. I sighed in defeat.
"It was a while ago. Near the beginning of my journey with Ash..." I told her about that day. The one where Ash and I went shopping alone and then he gave me the ribbon as a gift. Elaina stared at me blankly through my story and I was beginning to become frightened of what she might be thinking. When I finished, my cheeks were the darkest shade red and my friend had a full blown grin across her face.
"You went on a date with Ash?!" She shouted. I quickly covered her mouth with my hands and looked around to make sure no one heard.
"Shhhh." I whispered harshly at her. "Not so loud."
The blonde girl giggled under my fingers. Cautiously, I pulled my hand away from her mouth, recovering the largest smile on earth.
"Is there anything els you want to tell me about you and Ketchum?" Elaina asked, her eyebrows raising.
"It wasn't a real date! Ash didn't even realize he was on one." I pouted.
"That's Ash for you. For such a smart boy, he can be really stupid."
"That's enough about Ash and I. How about we get you a dress to wear for your first rookie performance in Laverre city!" I exclaimed. The grin on Elaina's face was immediately whipped off. Instead she looked petrified.
"My...Performance." She gulped.
"Yep. After my master class show case tomorrow, we'll head for Laverre city and you can participate in the rookie class." I beamed at her.
"But I don't know anything about preforming. How can I compete in a show case?"
"Don't worry. I'll teach you everything you need to know on the long journey there." I reassured her.
"Does it involve any battling?"
"No, silly! Preforming is all about showing how gracefully both trainer and Pokemon can work together."
"So you mean I have to stand in front of a large crowd and be...graceful?"
"Correct."
"I don't know Serena..."
"Oh come on, you'll be fine. I thought you wanted to learn all about preforming and even do a show case!"
"I do! I just didn't think it would be so soon."
"You'll be fine. And even if it doesn't go that well, you can still learn a lot from the experience."
"Yeah, but..."
"It will be fun! Now let's go get you a dress. I know just the place."
*. *. *. *.
"I don't know, Elaina. This could either be really good or really bad." I commented on the dress that my friend was making googly eyes at. We were outside one of the best dress shops I knew. A particular window display caught Elaina's attention and I have never seen a girl more in love. Her eyes lit up the second she saw it.
"But it's so mysterious and beautiful." She clasped her hands together in excitement.
"If you use it right, you could make the audience love you in a unique way. But if not, you could stand the chance of looking really bizarre and embarrass yourself." I pointed out to her.
"Well, what's life without a few risks?" She shrugged then proceeded into the shop to ask the sales clark about trying on the dress. I sighed.
"I think you've taken enough risks since you got here." I muttered to myself before following my friend inside.
Once she tried on the dress I knew we weren't walking out that store without it. Elaina twirled daintily in front of the mirror. Her eyes sparked as she admired every inch of fabric.
"It looks beautiful on you." I complimented her. She grinned at me as she ran her fingers through the ruffles of material.
"I love how silky it is. And the black, yellow and turquoise color scheme is stunning." She gloated as she continued to admire herself. "Serena?"
"Yes."
"I know this could end really badly if my audience doesn't like it, but I really want this dress." She whispered.
"It shouldn't matter what they think. If it makes you feel beautiful, get it." I comforted her.
"You're right. Even if it does turn out badly, I can always get another dress for preforming. But it makes me feel beautiful. I've never had the pleasure of wearing a dress like this."
"Then there's only one thing to do."
"I'm getting this dress."
________________________________________________________
Don't worry, I've purposely left out a detailed description of Elaina's dress. I have a sketch of her in it. I will show you in the next chapter.