Serena's POV:
I decided to wear a red strapless Corset along with a necklace with a blue pendant which I won in a Contest a few years back. After trying them on, I decided to wear a long pair of gloves which went up to my armpits. Indeed, I looked fabulous and very much ready to present myself in front of a massive crowd.
The one thing which confused me was the way I should tie up my hair, and I decided to go with a simple braid and let it drop across my right shoulder.
After that I showed my dress to Delphox whose eyes bulged out seeing me. Well, that was a good sign.
"Good enough?", I asked her giving a twirl. She nodded and motioned me to drop my dress a few inches lower and she wiggled her eyebrows. I didn't get it initially, but I understood when she thrust her chest forward and winked at me.
"What are you saying? Have you been hanging around May way too much?", I asked her with my hands on my hips. She shook her head giggling hysterically and we continued to bicker for a while.
A few minutes later, Ash came in with Greninja and Sceptile who decided to come with him. Greninja was Delphox's pair while Sceptile probably decided to tag along with us. Ash wore a white tux with matching white pants and a black bowtie and man, didn't he look handsome!!
I managed to say something like intelligent like, "Waaah?"
"So I look good huh? You look stunning, Serena!!", he complemented me chuckling. I simply gave him a shy smile in return and buried my face in his neck.
He had apparently forced Greninja and Sceptile to wear similar clothes which wasn't well accepted by the both of them.
Delphox immediately began to chat with Greninja and was showing him her clothes. She wore a red ribbon on her chest and a yellow gown kind of a dress which suited her feminine looks.
"When is that sonnet beginning?", he asked me.
"It's a soiree, Ash!! And to answer your question, it opens at 6 PM", I told him giggling and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
Time Skip
We eventually reached the event and we caught up with the rest of the gang, and chatted for a while. Ash being the hyperactive guy he is, went to fill his plate with food while May restrained herself from doing so though the platters were tantalizingly close to her.
The event began in the normal boring way, with Aria and Diantha giving their respective speeches and thanking all the sponsors of the event followed by our performances. The applause we received after our performance was the proof that Palermo's hard training was not a waste.
It was unfortunate that May decided to bring her Munchlax accidentally thinking that it was Blaziken's Pokeball, so half of the time, she was running behind him begging him not to eat all of the food in the buffet.
Dawn meanwhile, was trying to flirt with Gary who was also here to present his new discoveries to Professor Sycamore. However, Gary was least interested in talking to Dawn and was more interested in trying to find ways to mock Ash who would always find a way to counter his statement. Dawn didn't lose hope and kept following him around like a little Shinx.
Ash was going around here and there with Sceptile in tow while Greninja was dancing with Delphox, in a way. His dance moves seemed like a different and more stylish version of his basic attack moves, but Delphox didn't mind his lack of dancing skills and just enjoyed spending time with him.
I was really bored but I wore a smile on my face, but it didn't come from the bottom of my heart. It was just a formality.
"How are you not BORED?!!", Ash asked me exasperated while Sceptile just nodded his head agreeing with Ash.
"I am bored, Ashy! I just don't want people to see me bored. I'm pretending that I'm enjoying it", I explained.
"So, a soiree is a horribly lame version of a party?", he asked me and I simply sighed and rolled my eyes. Some things never change, do they?
"Well, Aria is here. She'll probably want to talk to you, Serena. I'll go and gave some more food. All this boredom has increased my appetite!!", he huffed.
"Is it possible?", I asked him giggling and he just childishly stuck his tongue out at me and went away grabbing a plate.
"Enjoying the soiree, Serena?", Aria asked me smiling and I nodded my head giving her a smile in return.
"Please, don't lie. It's as boring as watching paint dry!!", Aria complained. I giggled in return and nodded my head.
"Do you still plan of becoming the Kalos Queen, Serena?", she asked me. Suddenly, her face turned grim hoping I'd give her a negative answer.
"Well, yes! You better practice hard, Aria! I'm coming for your title!!", I taunted and he sighed in despair.
"Something wrong, Aria?", I asked her and she pulled me towards the balcony which was away from all the paparazzi's viewpoint.
"Please, Serena! Just leave this wish!! Try to become the Top Coordinator in Sinnoh or try to become the Hoenn Princess!! But please, not this", she pleaded.
"Why?", I questioned her.
"The Kalos Queen is not a simple position, Serena!! You have to do certain things that you'd NEVER wish to do!", she told me.
"I don't get it", I replied.
"A few years back, remember the Lysandre fiasco? He was approved by the Kalos Mayor as it was profitable for him. Each time he does a new business deal with a person, he.....he forces me to.....", she faltered.
"You mean..?", I asked her unable to complete the question and she nodded, her eyes becoming misty.
"It's not the first time it has happened. I became Kalos Queen when I was 16 and that year, Kalos was in a major state of loss. So, to convince a businessman to help us, I had to do it. These situations have taken place so many times that I have lost count!!", she told me slowly sobbing. I was so rattled that I couldn't even comfort her.
"You remind me so much of myself, Serena. Ash reminds me so much of my boyfriend Nando. He was always there for me. Ash would know Nando. He was there in the Sinnoh League and I think he lost to Ash. I don't exactly remember it. When I told him about this, I expected him to leave me or yell at me. But he still stood by my side, supportive as ever. I couldn't stay with him as this would keep going on. Random guys would keep desecrating me, and I couldn't let any other girl undergo what I go through!! So I asked him to call it quits. I expected him to know the reason, but he was still understanding. That made our separation even hard for me!!", she lamented clutching the rails so hard that her knuckles turned white and tears began to flow down her beautiful face.
"Then why did you encourage me 6 years ago?", I asked her.
"I didn't expect you to have such potential, Serena!! I thought you'd just be a temporary fad!! I didn't expect you to come that close to defeating me. That is why I train each and every day, Serena!! So that no other girl has to undergo this pain.", she told me
"But...what about Palermo? She never told of such stuff", I asked her.
"Things weren't like this when Palermo was there. It was perfect back then. Diantha has no problem, as she can defend herself very well. I can't beat a second year trainer!! My Pokemon's attacks are only focused into their beauty!! The worst thing is...that...they expect me to....do it with my consent!! That just triples the pain. In the name of a Kalos Queen, I'm... I'm actually a high grade pros..!!"
"YOU'RE NOT!!", I interrupted her. I simply couldn't allow her to call herself that.
"With the ongoing conspiracy, things will get FAR worse now, Serena! I'm used to all of this. It...doesn't even hurt anymore. But like I previously said, I won't let any other girl undergo what I've gone through", she told me sighing.
"Live your life in peace and joy, Serena. Don't come into this stinking profession. Let this die with me, please", she pleaded. I couldn't do anything but nod my head in response and I left the balcony giving her some alone time.
"Just don't let go of Ash, Serena! He's a pearl among persons, reminds me so much of Nando", she told me wistfully and I nodded my head leaving her alone for some private time.
Unable to comprehend the conspiracy that entered my mind, I went out and took a few deep breaths while Ash came behind and handed me a plate filled with food.
"Foof awwayshh makeshh you feef beffer", he told me with a mouthful of food. Well, it couldn't hurt right?
It was a chance to spend some time alone with Ash, and the moon was full. It was beautiful to look at. I spotted an empty bench in a nearby park and dragged him there.
"Wanna tell me what happened back there with Aria?", he asked me.
"I don't wanna speak about it Ash. Just know that I don't wanna be the Kalos Queen anymore", I told him tearfully. He just wrapped his arms around me and said nothing.
"Just to let you know, you can tell me anything, Serena! I'll always be there for you", he whispered in my ear.
"I know", I replied and we just cuddled for a few moments. Then he brought me onto his lap and I wrapped my right arm around his neck while I ran my left hand across his chest and this led to a small make out session until he heard a small whimper.
"What's that?", he asked me abruptly breaking our kiss. I shrugged my shoulders, but he wasn't convinced. Then I heard a scream which confirmed his suspicions.
He pulled me off his lap and got up to investigate and I followed suit. Little did I know that it'll be the last time in many years that I would be seeing him smile genuinely.
What I saw almost made me barf. The region was filled with strewn bodies of Army men and women, along with a dead officer Jenny who had a knife sticking across her chest. The more shocking thing was that the only survivor was Ash's mom. She too however, was in a gory condition with blood covering her entire body.
Ash was shaking with tears streaming down his face and when he was about to run towards her, she saw him and motioned him with her eyes to get out of there and mouthed that she loved him with all of her heart. Ash couldn't fathom that, but I pulled him aside while Delia gave me a nod thanking me and winced in pain. From the other side, 8 silhouettes of men appeared - 8 bosses of 8 criminal organizations.
I don't know their names, but Ash did. When I saw him, he was gritting his teeth glaring daggers at the men. But the last one...... LYSANDRE!! How was it possible? Wasn't he dead?
"You... you're supposed to be dead", Delia drawled in pain and he simply smirked in return.
"A dose of BL-27. It stops my heartbeat for 26 minutes and 12 seconds, but I'd still live. All of them assumed I was dead, but I'm alive and kicking!!", he said clutching his fists.
"Giovanni, Archer, Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Colress and of course, Lysandre!!", he named them clutching his fists. Out of the blue, Sceptile and Greninja came behind us and gasped.
Then, they began to taunt her personally, punch her and a few kinds of mental torture.
"Just finish her off!! We may attract attention", a 40 something guy with receding hairline said (Giovanni).
Delia just smirked in return and laughed heartily.
"17th April is my day of death. But mark this date on your calendar!! This is the day, YOUR countdown begins!!", Delia yelled rage surging through her voice.
"Interesting", was the response Lysandre have her raising his gun to her forehead. The rest of them began to leave.
"You guys are trying to bury the truth!! You sons of guns, NOBODY can do that!! In the place of one, two troubles will arise and come in front of you, face to face!! Hey a******s, don't think that our hands will always be down. One day, (cough)(splutter), one day, our hands will RISE!!", she spoke from the bottom of her heart and collapsed and THAT very minute, a new character replaced Ash's regular joyful one.
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for reading another chapter and thank you SO much for the 2K + reads!! Your support has been invaluable to me!! Pls do consider leaving a vote if it was good enough. Thanks!!:):):)