Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon belongs to GameFreak, etc.
Okay, here is the final chapter. I did not mention that this was going to be the last, but it will. Sorry for not saying so earlier. You may think it is short for a fanfiction, but the chapters are about 3500 words long each so it's actually decent. If you are unsatisfied with the ending (which I think you might be), comment for a sequel. I'll leave the rest of the talk till the end of the chapter. Enjoy.
"Ahhhhh! I can't do this!" the honey-blonde performer screeched. Her boyfriend, sitting on a seat nearby, covered his ears a little too late.
"Arceus, Serena, what's got you so worked up this time? You weren't nearly as... crazy, when you entered the Master Class the first time!"
"I know, Ash, but something just makes me more nervous than ever!"
"Maybe it's because you just really want to win this. Don't worry about it. Your Pokemon won't be upset if you don't win. I understand you've done all that training, but look at me! I've travelled and trained with Pokemon for nine years now, and I've never won any League Conference!"
"I guess you're right."
"I'm always right." Ash beamed.
"Braggart." Serena mumbled.
"I heard that. Anyway, you've got a whole week to perfect your performance!"
It had been almost one year since the second Team Flare incident. Ash had joined Serena on her journey to collect her Princess Keys for the Master Class.
"I still haven't even decided which Pokemon I want to use! Ash, help me will you?" Serena pleaded.
"All right, all right! Calm down! I will help you. Now tell me what moves your Pokemon have. By the way, Lapras don't do well on land so you probably shouldn't use it."
"Okay, so Delphox knows Psychic, Light Screen, Mystical Fire and Flamethrower, Pangoro has-"
"No offence to Pangoro but I wouldn't use him. He's not really the graceful type anymore once he's evolved from Pancham, don't you think?"
"Right. Sylveon has Protect, Swift, Fairy Wind and Moonblast. Braviary knows Superpower, Tailwind, Aerial Ace and Brave Bird."
"Braviary's not the greatest performing Pokemon."
"I used him in contests in Hoenn. He won a few for me."
"Use him then."
"Now that that's sorted out, what combinations should I use?" Serena pondered.
"Try getting Braviary to use Brave Bird, dive into a Mystical Fire tornado, then shatter a Protect from Sylveon."
"That's a nice idea actually. Anything else?"
"You have to have the Flamethrower-Swift. We all love that one."
"Okay. Got that down. What else?"
"Use Tailwind to blow the star from the Flamethrower and Swift out further into the audience. Also, get Braviary to carry Delphox around while Delphox sets up Light Screens, and get Sylveon to use Moonblast. Hopefully, the Moonblast will create a nice pattern by rebounding off the Light Screens."
"Thanks! I'll try that right now."
"Don't stress yourself out too much, remember!"
"I won't. I'm not like you."
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A week after Serena's hyperventilating, it was time for the Master Class.
Just before Serena and Ash were about to leave for the stadium before someone put a hand on Serena's shoulder. It was Grace.
"Mum, what are you doing here?"
"To watch my daughter perform of course! What else?"
"No, I mean HERE. As in at the Pokemon Centre."
"Oh, I brought you this."
Grace presented her with a thin box. She watched as Serena opened it and who would've thought, it was a dress.
"Again? Come on, you didn't need to buy me this!"
"Of course I do. You're my daughter, and as a mother I only want the best for my child."
"Thanks mum." Serena handed the box to Ash to hold while she hugged her mother. "You really are the best."
"No need to say that. I know."
"So... can we get going now? It starts in an hour, and the sign-in takes about ten minutes." Ash suggested.
"Oh. Of course."
They walked to the venue of the Master Class. Ash waited with Grace while Serena registered and then they found seats.
"Good luck, my girl." Grace squealed, before embracing her daughter and pecking the top of her head. "You'll do great. Win this for you, your Pokemon and us."
"I will."
Grace left to find her seat first. Ash stayed behind.
"So. I have no words, but good luck."
"Thanks."
Ash gave her a quick kiss on the lips before she left for the waiting rooms. Ash found and took his seat next to Grace. It had a great view of the stage, just a few rows from it, on the second tier of seats but right at the front. Just another advantage of being a prestigious Rhyhorn Racer's daughter's boyfriend.
Now, he sat patiently waiting for the showcase to begin.
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Serena was also waiting for the showcase to begin, except in the waiting rooms. She had put on the dress her mother had given her just under an hour ago. It was simple in terms of colour, yet it was beautiful.
The top was mainly white, but with small yellow buttons and two black vertical stripes. A blue bow at the collar finished it off. It was sleeveless, and the area where Serena's arms were was frilled. White gloves with small blue bows on them finished the upper half of the costume. The bottom part of the dress consisted of a mainly black layered dress. The first layer, the bottom one, was half black and half blue. Where the black and blue met the edge was a curve pattern. The hem of the dress was sealed with a white strip, in the same curved pattern. The second layer, the higher one, was black with a strip of blue to close it off.
Serena clipped on the necklace Ash bought for her. Ash himself had told her multiple times she looked perfect without makeup, so she skipped out on that. She was checking herself in the mirror, making sure everything was fine.
"Serena! Nice to see you're fine!"
Serena glanced behind her. "Shauna! Hi!"
"I thought you were done for last year. I was so worried!"
"It's nice to know someone cared for me. How are you? I haven't spoken to you for a long time."
"I'm good, but don't expect any weakness from me here. I may have lost last year but I'm not going to lose easily this year!"
"Well, neither am I." Serena replied feistily.
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"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this year's Master Class. As you should know by now, my name is Monsieur Pierre - but without further ado, let the Tripokalon begin!"
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"Nice necklace. Where'd you get it?"
"Oh. Ash bought it for me."
"Has someone made progress?"
Serena almost screamed before she recognised the voice. "Miette!"
"Well, have you?"
Serena would've answered but a woman came into the room.
"Okay everyone, time to move. Get to your respective elevators. Go! No talking."
Serena shrugged, and strode calmly to where the woman was pointing.
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"These are the lovely ladies who will be competing for the Kalos Queen crown!"
Once everybody had unlocked their doors, they stepped out into the spotlight.
"Like it is every year, this will be tournament style. Unfortunately, Aria will not be able to present a speech this year - she was a little pressed for time."
Moans of disappointment floated to the front from the audience.
"Of course, Aria will be making her appearance."
A platform above the contestants jutted out from the wall and Aria walked out onto it. She waved to the audience.
"Hello everyone. As you may know I wasn't able to prepare my speech, so I'll go with an impromtu one here. Well done to all you performers down there for making it this far. You have done well. I want you to always remember that you're doing this because you love it, not so you can be famous. To all of you here and at home, enjoy!"
Everybody, literally everybody, applauded her. Ash heard clapping to his right, where there had originally been nobody. Clemont was sitting there, smiling.
"What? Serena's my friend too you know."
Back down on stage, the ladder was shown. Serena was against two girls who didn't nearly look as ready as she did. It would be an easy win for her here.
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"Okay Sylveon. This one's all yours."
Sylveon nodded, while Delphox and Braviary sat down comfortably in the waiting room once again.
Serena trusted them to not do anything rough while she was gone, and she left for the stage to face off against the other two girls.
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Now was when Serena was stressing out. She had made it to the finals for the second time, winning against many, including Shauna and Miette.
Now was when she would be using Ash's ideas and making people smile.
Now was when she would keep the promise she made to her Pokemon, long ago.
"As per usual, we'll start with Challenger Serena's performance!"
Serena made her way down from the platform she was on, down to the stage. Delphox gracefully followed her, Sylveon padded next to her and Braviary flew above her head, not finding the stairs the most suitable path down.
Lights flickered on, and that was when she knew it was time to start.
Delphox, Flamethrower! Sylveon, use Swift into the Flamethrower! Once they become flaming stars, Braviary use Tailwind!"
Each Pokemon used their moves. Delphox and Sylveon together created a stars of fire, which were blown out into the audience by Braviary's Tailwind.
"Delphox, use Mystical Fire! Braviary, dive into it and swerve back up!"
Delphox fired rings of fire into the air, and Braviary soared through them perfectly, not getting singed one bit.
"Sylveon, use Moonblast up in the air, and lay down a Protect below it! Braviary, spin and use Brave Bird into Moonblast to split it up! Delphox, use Psychic to move Sylveon out of Braviary's way!"
Sylveon shot a beam of pink straight up, directly at Braviary. Braviary shrieked at it, and flew right into it while glowing a calm shade of blue. Delphox, eyes glowing the same shade of blue as Braviary, locked onto Sylveon and made sure she was in the clear of Braviary.
Braviary stopped as he hit the Protect, and broke the barrier into hundreds of green shards that joined the flakes of the Moonblast.
"Okay, Braviary, grab Delphox by the shoulders, then carry her around! Delphox, set up Light Screens in the way we practised! Sylveon, send off a Moonblast right when you see the first Light Screen form!"
Delphox was at Braviary's mercy, hovering at certain points of the stage. She set up some Light Screens, while Sylveon's Moonblast rebounded off each of the previous ones. The pattern was a star, which would stay visible until a Light Screen broke.
Delphox was set down in the middle by Braviary, who glided smoothly back to Serena's position, tenderly taking her by the arms with his claws and lifting her clear off the ground.
Braviary circled up and dropped Serena down, and she was caught by Delphox using Psychic. While she was being lowered to the ground, Braviary and Sylveon had come over as well. Sylveon danced in front of Serena, Braviary landed powerfully to the left of where she would drop down and Delphox slid to the right.
Serena fell elegantly with a twirl. "Finished!"
This time, the audience clapped for her like they had never seen better. Pierre himself, who had seen many performances, knew that it would take quite a bit for Aria to top this performance.
"Thank you, Serena. We now have Kalos Queen Aria's performance!"
Aria was already down on the stage when Pierre announced this, and Serena was already back on her platform. Aria had the same Pokemon as last time Serena saw her - her Delphox, Vivillon and Aromatisse.
"Aromatisse, use Charge Beam! Delphox, Flamethrower! Vivillon, use Psybeam!"
Each Pokemon used their attack, causing one huge tower of electricity, psychic energy and fire to spiral up. At the top, it split up into purple, yellow and red fireworks.
"Delphox, use Mystical Fire! Aromatisse, use Reflect! Vivillon, after Delphox has executed her attack, lift her up!"
Mystical Fire, when it hit the Reflect, merely turned into embers. Not an impressive combination, and a small mistake, that might cost the Kalos Queen Crown.
"Okay Delphox, drop down and use Fire Blast! Aromatisse, use Reflect again! Vivillon, fire a Psybeam through the Fire Blast, them come down to carry me up!"
Delphox waved her stick and created five-pronged wave of fire. A Psybeam cut right through it, and both attacks hit a Reflect down below. Fragments from both Psybeam and Fire Blast were distributed out into the audience.
Aria was lifted up by Vivillon. "Okay Delphox! Mystical Fire, upwards!"
Delphox threw rings of fire up into the air at the ceiling. It almost hit it, in fact.
"Vivillon, drop me. I know what I'm doing!"
Vivillon let out a worried cry but didn't object. Aria plummeted but true to her word, she did know what she was doing.
"Aromatisse, Reflect!"
Aromatisse threw down a safe landing spot for Aria, and instead of shattering her legs like people expected, Aria landed easily and curtseyed.
"Finished!"
The audience applauded her, though noticeably not as strongly as they had for Serena. It seemed clear who the winner of the Master Class would be.
Once Serena had joined Aria back down on the stage, Pierre finally called for the voting.
"Raise your Pokelumes in the corresponding colour of your candidate! Un, deux, trois!"
More than half the lights in the room were pink, Serena's colour. The majority of the people who weren't present but watching were also voting for Serena. Ash, Clemont and Grace stood up to send theirs.
The final results were calculated, and it showed Serena's votes a few blocks above Aria's.
"And the winner of this year's Master Class Showcase is Performer Serena!"
Everyone watching burst into cheering, before Pierre raised a hand to ask for silence.
"For the crowning of our new Kalos Queen, we will be hosting an event in Lumiose City, in one month. It will involve food, dancing, and of course, our new Kalos Queen being crowned. I hope to see all you performers there. You may have lost, but everyone enjoyed your performance all the same. Oh, and as always with my dance parties, bring a date."
Another round of applause from the crowd.
"With that, I hope you enjoyed this year's Master Class. See you next year! Au revoir!"
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Once Serena had changed out of her dress, she left the stadium and found her mother, Ash and Clemont waiting. Grace immediately crushed her in a hug.
"You were wonderful. You deserved it."
"Thanks mum. For supporting me and getting me the dress."
"That's nothing."
Clemont walked up to her and also hugged her. It was a friendly hug, saying congratulations. Clemont didn't have much else to say.
At last, it was Ash's turn to congratulate her. He didn't show much affection due to them being in public, but kissed her very quickly.
"You did great. You'll be the best Kalos Queen there was."
"Thanks Ash. Not just for saying that, but for helping me with some ideas for combinations to use in the Master Class."
"I didn't do the work. Your Pokemon did."
"I already made sure I thanked them as well."
"Good to hear. Now come on, let's go back to the Pokemon Centre. Oh by the way, that neck band looked really nice on you. You should wear it more often."
"Oh, uh, thanks. Maybe I will."
"He's not wrong. You did look dazzling out there, Serena." Grace chipped in.
"Well, not to worry because I'll wear it in every performance."
"That's nice to hear."
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"How do I look?"
"Same as always. Beautiful."
"Aw, thanks Ash. You look great too. Time to go now."
"Are you sure I look fine?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Serena giggled. Ash was being a little paranoid right now.
Serena was wearing a long, sparkling red dress that reached her ankles. A red bow was fastened to her hair and on her feet were a pair of light maroon low heels. She also added the neck band from Ash.
Ash had black dress pants, light blue dress shirt, darker blue jacket and a small, black bow tie. He had to wear a pair of polished leather shoes to complete the suit.
Tonight was the night when Serena would be crowned Kalos Queen. As expected, she had asked Ash to be her partner for the night. Had she not chosen him she would have been like all the other Kalos Queens before her, having to go with Pierre.
"Arceus, this is so nerve-racking." Serena screamed.
"I can imagine." Ash retorted.
"No you can't. You haven't won anything big like this before."
Ash had nothing to say to that.
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"Welcome, everybody, to the crowning of our new Kalos Queen, Serena! To begin, we will be having a dance. May Serena please come to the middle with her partner, and their Pokemon."
Ash held Serena's hand in his and took her to the dance floor. Greninja led Delphox, while Pikachu dashed over with Sylveon. The music started.
Ash positioned his hands and feet where they should be, to Serena's surprise. The two of them danced a a slow tune.
"Since when did you get this good?"
"I've been taking lessons over the past few weeks. During those little meetings between you and the Pokemon Showcase officials."
"Oh, I see."
"I assume learning paid off. At least I'm not embarrassing you in front of everybody. If I did they must think the Kalos Queen has bad taste."
"Whatever. I'd still love you all the same." Serena whispered, resting her head on his.
Minutes passed like seconds, and before they knew it the dancing time was over.
"Okay everybody! Now it's time to enjoy the food!"
Ash usually would have gone straight to the tables, but he had no appetite tonight - and for a good reason too. Serena had a bit of anxiety at the moment, and didn't either. They only ended up eating a little bit each, but enough to keep themselves fed.
Pierre clapped his hands loudly. All eyes in the large hall turned towards him.
"Now for the crowning itself. Could Serena come up here please."
Serena let go of Ash's hand and smiled. She walked confidently to where Pierre was.
"It is my duty to hereby name you the Kalos Queen. Do you accept your duty?"
"Yes I do."
"I now present to you, Kalos, our new Queen!"
There was lots of applause from the people present. Cameras flashed as Pierre placed a tiara, the Kalos Queen's symbol of office, on Serena's head. She curtseyed to the crowd, which resulted in more clapping.
Serena made her way back to where Ash was. He bowed mockingly.
"Your highness."
She slapped him lightly as he straightened up. "Don't you dare."
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The celebrations were almost over, with some music playing for those who wanted more dancing. Ash and Serena however, were on the balcony of the mansion where the party was held. Serena leaned on the railing, while Ash wrapped one arm around her, keeping her close.
Now was the time he would have to tell her. No sooner, no later.
"Serena?"
"Hm?"
"I... need to tell you something."
Serena was a bit scared. Ash usually didn't pause. His speech was almost always fluent.
"Yes?"
Ash took a deep breath. This was big news that could end their relationship right then and there, forever.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Tears came to Serena's eyes almost immediately.
"But why?"
"Now that you've achieved your dream, it's time for me to achieve mine. I know you want me to stay here with you. I want to too, but we have to go our separate ways now."
Serena couldn't restrain herself, and let her tears trickle down her face.
"Hey, don't cry. Just because I'm leaving, it doesn't mean I don't love you anymore. No matter where I am, you'll always be in my heart."
"You too, Ash. You too."
Ash lowered his head to her level and kissed her tenderly and passionately, to which she responded to in the same way.
They broke apart, but now Ash had a smile on his face. This rewarded him a hard slap from Serena.
"I'm sorry, I know you're going to chase your dreams and all, but are you happy you're leaving me?" she complained.
"No."
"Then get that grin off your face!"
"I'm not grinning because I'm leaving."
"Oh really? Then why?"
Ash got his arm off her and stood up straight. He felt inside his pocket.
And then he fell to one knee, and produced a small felt box from his pocket.
"Serena, when I come back, will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a pure gold ring with a small diamond on top. A red ribbon, the one Ash received as a gift for buying the neck band, wound around the outside of the box.
"There is no way in one thousand lives that I won't."
Ash took the ring out and threaded it on Serena's left ring finger, then got up and placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her again they spent the rest of their awake hours there, not caring about their surroundings.
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Serena stood at the boarding gate for the plane to Kanto. Ash faced her.
"This is our temporary goodbye, then."
Serena nodded dejectedly.
They gave each other a farewell kiss.
"I love you, Ash."
"I love you too, Serena. I'll be back before you realise I'm gone. I promise you that."
Serena talked to herself quietly as Ash boarded the plane to Kanto.
"I know you will, because you never break your promises."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of Promises. A few things to talk about here.
First, thank you so very much for 1000 reads. I hope I've entertained you all. I myself had lots of fun writing this: the slight density of Ash, the twist of Cynthia's allegiance, the fall. Everything has been so fun. I want to thank you all for reading. That was what got me motivated to write in the first place.
Second, I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed me. It doesn't matter if you're not an avid follower, thank you all the same. Again, just hoping to make people happy. Just like Serena ;)
Third, like second, another thank you. This one is to everyone who has commented on this story thus far. Though... in my next ones I hope for legitimate feedback, not 'Great Chapter' or 'Nice!'. Oh and comment on any random stuff if you want as well. Just don't give me boring feedback please.
Finally, that 'comment for a sequel thing'? Up there? Yeah, that was a joke. I'm doing one anyway. I actually already planned how this whole series would work. Four books, which I will call the Loyalty Tetralogy. It'll probably be known by another name by the time I'm finished with all the book titles XD. The sequel will be called 'Protector'. Speaking of which, here's the summary.
Serena, the Kalos Queen, is waiting for the special person in her life: Ash Ketchum. He made a promise which he would undoubtedly keep.
When he arrives back in Kalos, he's just in time to save Serena from being kidnapped.
After a short talk with Monsieur Pierre, he finds out that Serena has been the most popular Kalos Queen for decades, and therefore makes a target for kidnappers.
Ash steps up to a challenge. He will fight until the death for the one he loves. He will save her from anything.
He will be her protector.
So, what do you think? This is something I DO want you to comment about. Does the summary sound good?
By the way, if my description of Serena's dress was bad, it's the blue one in DoriDori, which you can see up top if you play the video.
Anyways, this marks the end of Promises. I hope you enjoyed, and watch out for Protector, which will be coming out in early February.
Oh and I almost forgot. Once I get the cover of it fixed, I'll be beginning another Amourshipping story :D. It'll be the main thing on my account until I start Protector.
Well... until next time!