The next morning, after Ash and Dawn had caught up, everyone was meeting up in the lobby to take a submarine from the shore by Lilycove to Sootopolis City. As the students, their teacher and his wife, and even Dawn and Brock were preparing to leave, some of them couldn't help but notice the absence of a certain boy and his Pikachu.

Mallow looked around, Shaymin in her arms. "Hey, where's Ash?"

This caught the attention of the rest of the group, and they all scanned the lobby as well. "I don't see him anywhere." Lillie said.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!"

Everyone turned to the hall where the rooms were, and saw Ash walking out with Pikachu on his shoulder, already prepared to leave. But something was different. He had changed his clothes. Instead of his normal baggy pants and t-shirt, he instead wore dark blue jeans, and a royal blue zip-up jacket with a black undershirt. He also wore red sneakers and black fingerless gloves. His hat looked very similar, though it was a slightly darker red than his normal one. He adjusted his hat by the brim and grinned at his friends.

Mallow couldn't help but blush a bit at the sight. The outfit complimented him much better than his normal one. Lana pointed. "What's with the clothes?"

"Oh, yeah! Well, it's just, I honestly got a little annoyed with the baggy pants, and I wanted a change, at least while we're here, and it's not as hot as it is in Alola. I had these from my last journey, so I figured I'd put 'em back on for a while." Ash said. Pikachu cried out in agreement.

"They look really good, Ash!" Mallow said, smiling.

Ash blushed slightly and rubbed under his nose. "Thanks. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move it!"

Dawn fist pumped. "Yeah! I need to register as soon as possible, too! The deadline is later today!" Piplup let out a cry of agreement from her arms.

"We really should be going then. Alright, everyone, follow me!" Kukui announced.

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted in agreement.

As they left, Brock turned around and waved to Nurse Joy. "I'll be back in a couple days, Nurse Joy!"

The pink-haired nurse waved back, smiling. "Thanks for all of your help, Brock!"

As they all exited the Pokémon Center, Professor Kukui spoke up again. "Okay, everyone. Sootopolis City is sealed off to the outside by rock. We're going to be taking a submarine to get there. We'll go underneath the rocks, and rise up to the port in Sootopolis City. Follow me, the submarines are this way."

"Wow, that must be some natural formation. Why even build a city in such a location?" Lillie inquired.

"Well, Lillie, many people ask the same question. It is definitely odd when you think about it. But, there are legends in Hoenn that say that inside that rock formation, just outside Sootopolis City, lays a cave that houses the dormant legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre." Kukui said.

"Whoa, Kyogre??" Lana exclaimed.

"And Groudon too??" Kiawe chimed in.

The Professor nodded. "That's correct. Though it is only a legend. No one knows if it's really true or not. You see, the Pokémon supposedly sleep in a place that people can't actually see or reach. The legend states that either the Red Orb or the Blue Orb would be required to wake the sleeping Pokémon, and no one knows where they are or how to acquire them."

"This all sounds familiar..." Ash mumbled, scratching his chin. Pikachu agreed pensively. Brock looked at Ash, sweat-dropping and deciding not to add anything.

"So, maybe that's why they built Sootopolis. Perhaps, when the city was first built, people were attempting to uncover the mysteries of those Pokémon, and more and more people were coming to settle there, and eventually, Sootopolis was built." Burnet added.

"That makes sense to me!" Lillie said, writing down a few notes in her small notebook.

"That's a pretty incredible legend. Their power must be off the charts!" Sophocles exclaimed excitedly.

Mallow tapped on Dawn's shoulder and whispered to her. "Hey, Dawn. Random question, but is it just me, or does Ash look way better in these clothes than the other ones?"

Dawn looked pensive, whispering back. "I have to agree. I hate to admit it, but he does look kinda attractive in those clothes."

"Doesn't he?? They make his normal clothes look way too baggy and weird!" Mallow agreed.

"Agreed. Hey, he wore a similar outfit in Sinnoh, too. But maybe he's just matured enough to where he actually looks good." Dawn laughed. "I honestly never thought I'd be saying something like this about Ash. I guess certain outfits just do him more favors than others."

The group finally made it to where the submarines were all docked, and Professor Kukui quickly got them all spots on the next one, set to leave very soon. The group boarded the submarine, which looked a lot like a subway of sorts on the inside. The few seats that were there were already taken, so everyone grabbed on the handles on the ceiling or the poles that were scattered throughout the interior. After about 5 more minutes, the door closed and they departed from the dock. It only took about 20 minutes for the subway to rise to the surface of the water, now in Sootopolis City. The door soon opened and signaled for everyone to exit. One by one, the passengers left the vehicle, and the group went off the main path to collect themselves.

"So this is Sootopolis City!" Mallow said.

"It's so amazing!" Dawn chimed in.

"Hey, Dawn. Aren't you forgetting something?" Ash poked her shoulder.

"Hm?" She turned to Ash, wondering what he meant. It hit her suddenly, and her eyes went wide. "Uh-oh! Quick, where's the Pokémon Center??? I need to register!!"

Kukui looked at the map on his tablet. "It's over that way."

"'Kay, gotta run! I'll meet you all there!" Dawn called out as she and Piplup took off in the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Ash turned to Brock. "That seems a little unlike Dawn to forget about registering."

"To be fair though, this is a pretty amazing city." Brock pointed out.

"It's so cool!!" Sophocles agreed.

Everyone finally got a chance to look around at the city. Needless to say, it was bustling, busy on every corner. Tourists and Coordinators from all over the world had come to this one place to compete in or observe the Wallace Cup. And because it was to start the next day, it was getting close to what would be its busiest times of the next few days. People were out shopping, sightseeing, and more. The city itself wasn't as big as Lilycove City, but it was fairly large considering the fact that it was housed in a giant rock formation.

"Alright, gang. We're staying in an Inn for the next few nights, since the Pokémon Center is already booked for Coordinators. Brock, there's space for you too. As you can see, it's extra busy, so let's all make sure we stay close together. Don't let anyone get lost. Follow me!" Kukui told everyone.

"Yes sir!"

Everyone started to walk, following Professor Kukui and making sure to stay close together. Despite this, they found that the density of people was much higher than they had thought. They were constantly having to dodge oncoming people from many different directions.

Mallow looked around at all the people. She then walked over to Ash and took his arm. This caused Ash to turn his head to her and find her smiling at him. He gave her a bit of a questioning look.

"What? It's so we don't get separated!"

Lillie took Ash's other arm, smiling playfully. "You're such a gentleman, Ash!"

The two girls smiled up at him, while he sighed in playful defeat. He smiled down at the girls who had taken his arms. His friends got a chuckle out of the scene.

After navigating the whirlwind of people and finally arriving to and checking in at the Inn, they made their way to the Pokémon Center to meet Dawn. They found her waiting in the lobby, even though it was packed with Coordinators, all preparing for the Wallace Cup. Dawn stood up when she saw everyone come in.

"Hey guys!"

"Dawn! You all registered?" Ash asked her.

"Yep! I'm all set to go! We've been practicing some new combinations and everything!"

"Huh? You don't mean..." Ash began.

"Yep! The Wallace Cup is a Double Performance this year!" Dawn confirmed, winking.

"That's great news! That'll make the Contest a real spectacle for sure!" Brock chimed in.

"I'm so excited to see it!" Mallow exclaimed. Ash's classmates spoke out in agreement.

"So, the Contest's first round starts tomorrow; we should go sightseeing until dinner!" Dawn suggested.

"That sounds good! Everyone should try to stay in groups of three or more as you explore the city. Okay?" Professor Kukui asked.

"Right!" The students responded.

"Hey, Ash-" Mallow began.

"Dawn, Brock, let's go!" Ash said as he started forcefully pushing the two out of the front door.

"What's the hurry, Ash?" Dawn asked, confused.

"C'mon, quick! Let's hightail it!"

The students watched the three leave the Pokémon Center as fast as Ash could push them. The automatic door closed behind them.

Mallow turned to Lana and Lillie. "Oh well. Wanna go check out the shops, girls?"

"Sounds good!" Lana nodded.

"Let us go, then!" Lillie said. The three girls soon departed the Pokémon Center as well.

Sophocles and Kiawe turned to their teacher. Kukui nodded. "You two can go. I know you'll be okay."

"Thanks, Professor." Kiawe said. The rest of the group left the Center to go sightseeing.

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"Okay, Sylveon! It's time I gave you and everyone else a brush before the Contest tomorrow! It's our biggest Contest so far, so we have to make sure we look our best and give it all we've got!"

"Syl!"

A young lady sat down in the lobby of the Sootopolis City Pokémon Center with a Sylveon on her lap, bringing out her brush from her backpack. She immediately began brushing. She had dirty blonde hair that fell down just above her shoulders. She also had the brightest of blue eyes, the most beautiful of smiles, and the most caring of hearts.

"Let's hightail it!"

The girl's attention was grabbed by a seemingly familiar voice by the entrance of the Pokémon Center. She saw a brief flash of royal blue and red before the door shut. She stared, zoning out. Her eyes widened.

"Syl?" The Fairy-type looked up at her trainer with a worried expression.

The girl continued to stare at the door. "... was that...?"

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Ash sighed in relief. "I managed to escape."

"Escape? Escape what?" Dawn asked Ash.

"Escape Mallow, that's what. She always forces me to go shopping with them and carry all their bags. It's awful."

Dawn gasped. "Oh, I get it! So that's what she meant when she told me you escaped."

"Huh?"

"See, when I met Mallow, Lana, and Lillie, I learned they were your friends because Mallow mentioned to them that you had 'escaped'. But I didn't pay attention to that part, I was a little busy being shocked that they knew you, and that you were here." Dawn said.

"Shopping with girls can be a rough time for sure." Brock said. "Sometimes shopping is a good thing, but if you're stuck with a bunch of girls, it is certainly not that. At least, for us guys."

"Yeah, I figured that one out the hard way." Ash said.

"I used to drag you both shopping all the time in Sinnoh. And I'd force you to carry my bags too!" Dawn smirked.

"Maybe so, but even that doesn't compare to shopping with those girls. When all three of them are together, there's no stopping their shopping sprees. Individually, they probably wouldn't be so bad. But that..." Ash shivered.

"Well, either way, it's nice to have our group back together! Dawn, Ash and I are so excited to watch you compete again. It'll be just like old times!" Brock said.

"Yeah! We know you'll be great, Dawn!" Ash added excitedly.

"Pika!" The Pokémon chimed in from Ash's shoulder.

She smiled and grabbed both of their shoulders. "Thanks, guys! Now, c'mon, let's go shopping!"

Ash and Brock looked at each other in horror as Dawn dragged them both away towards the shops.

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"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, one and all... to the annual Wallace Cup!!!"

The huge crowd gathered in Sootopolis Stadium cheered.

"It's the only contest all year that brings coordinators from all around the world to one place to compete against each other!" Vivian announced excitedly.

"Now, of course, allow me the honor of introducing our host, former gym leader right here in Sootopolis City, and current Contest Master: Wallace!"

The Contest stage was surrounded almost entirely by water, minus the entrance ramp from the curtains in the back. There were fountains scattered across the water as well. Quickly, the water began to shift, change shape, almost morphing around something; it formed a gorgeous spiral for a huge snake-like creature to leap out of the water, providing sparkling water effects to the Pokémon's entrance. That Pokémon was a Milotic. It landed perfectly on the stage. It then started to move its tail in a circle, creating a tornado of water with its tail that stretched above the highest point of the open stadium. As its tail began to slow down, a shadow appeared in the water tornado, floating down towards the stage. Milotic dispersed the tornado, sending water back out to the pond surrounding the stage. The shadow was Wallace, who had elegantly landed on the stage with Milotic's long tail surrounding him. The entire crowd cheered especially loud for the namesake of the Contest. The loudest screams were noticeably female.

"Wow, that Wallace sure knows how to make an entrance!" Ash commented.

"That was like nothing I've ever seen! So graceful! So elegant!" Mallow agreed. Shaymin agreed from her lap.

"His Milotic is so gorgeous!" Lana added. Sandy also cried out from her lap.

"And he's still as popular as ever." Brock said.

"Thank you all for coming to see this year's Wallace Cup! I'm once again honored to serve as a special guest judge for the entirety of the tournament. Here's to another great Contest!" He waved to the crowd as the large majority of girls had hearts replace their eyes.

"Wallace, if you please." Vivian implored the Contest Master. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Wallace Cup ribbon and held it out. "And, as always, the winner of the Contest will receive the Wallace Cup ribbon, which counts as a win in any region! It's a highly coveted prize that only the most talented of Coordinators have been known to receive!"

The crowd cheered again as the camera got a close-up on the ribbon and its intricate design.

"Now, let's not waste any time; let us begin the first round: the Performance Round!" Vivian announced excitedly. "This year's Wallace Cup is a double performance. Coordinators will have full use of the stage to show off their Pokémon's unique characteristics, moves, and beauty in the most effective way possible. There will be no scoring for each performance; the judges will be deciding at the end of the performances which sixteen Coordinators will move on to the Battle Round!"

"Now, let's start with our first performance: it's a former winner of the Wallace Cup, daughter of Top Coordinator Johanna, hailing from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh Region: it's Dawn!"

"Wow, Dawn's up first!" Lillie said excitedly.

"Go for it, Dawn!" Mallow and Ash cheered.

Dawn, wearing a pink mid-length dress, ran down towards the stage from the now open curtains. "Piplup and Bellossom! Spotlight!"

She threw two sealed Pokéballs into the air to reveal her partner and her brand new Pokémon, with the Penguin Pokémon getting water droplet effects upon its entrance, and the Flower Pokémon getting rose petals with its entrance.

"Wow, I didn't know Dawn had a Bellossom!" Brock noted.

"Yeah, that's a new one on me too." Ash nodded.

"Hey, Ash." Mallow poked his arm. "What was with all those effects just now?"

"Oh! Those are Pokéball Seals! Coordinators use them all the time; it's pretty much an unsaid rule of Pokémon Contests to have your Pokémon make flashy entrances using Seals. There's a bunch of different types and styles depending on the kind of effect you want." Ash said. "They're basically just Pokeball-shaped capsules; you put your Pokeballs in them, and when you release your Pokémon, the effect of the seal kicks in, adding whatever the effect you wanted was to that flash of light you see when a Pokémon normally comes out of its ball."

"I see! So Dawn coordinated her seals with her Pokémon's types! Piplup got a water effect, and Bellossom got a petal effect!" Lillie concluded.

Ash nodded. "That's right, Lillie."

"Piplup, spin and use Bubblebeam!"

The Penguin Pokémon followed the command, using Bubblebeam upward while spinning, sending a bunch of bright blue bubbles scattered across the stage area in the air.

"Now, Bellossom, Petal Dance!"

Bellossom began to dance, and while doing so, sent bright pink petals from its head and into the bubbles that were still floating around the stadium. The bubbles were now all filled with petals, showing off the beauty of a grass and water combination.

"Incredible! Bellossom's Petal Dance has just filled all of Piplup's bubbles! This is gorgeous! The Wallace Cup is already off to an amazing start!"

"Wow! So pretty!" Mallow said.

"Water types and Grass types can really work well together!" Lana said. She and Mallow turned to each other and giggled.

"Piplup, Whirlpool!"

Piplup's body started to glow as it created a huge whirlpool above its head. In doing this, it caught all of descending bubbles, which caused the petals to start circulating throughout the whirlpool.

"Bellossom, Sunny Day!"

Bellossom focused the sun's rays onto Piplup's Whirlpool with the petals in it, causing the water and the petals to all glisten in the bright sunlight.

"And Bellossom's Sunny Day gives the already gorgeous combo move a gorgeous glisten! It really shows off the different abilities of these two great Pokémon!" Vivian chimed in.

"Now, Bellossom, Energy Ball!"

Bellossom sent a glowing green ball of energy through the center of the whirlpool, causing it to dissipate and send water particles and petals all across the stadium. The Energy Ball seemed to hesitate at the height of its arc.

"Piplup, Drill Peck!"

Piplup leaped off the ground and began to spin rapidly. He went straight up and into the Energy Ball, which caused it to break and send bright green particles around the stage. Piplup landed next to Bellossom, in front of Dawn, and Dawn and Piplup posed while Bellossom danced.

"Finished!"

The whole stadium full of people cheered loudly.

"Dawn was so great!" Ash exclaimed, turning to Brock.

"Yeah, she was! That was classic Dawn, but with a new grass-type twist." Brock agreed.

"That was so unbelievably amazing!! I can't wait to see the rest of the performances!!" Mallow exclaimed.

"I agree! If all of them are as amazing as Dawn's, this should be an incredible day!" Kiawe agreed.

"Truly a magnificent sight to behold. Dawn is surely one talented coordinator." Professor Kukui noted.

A few other coordinators went through their performances, before Vivian announced a relatively familiar name. "And now, for our next Coordinator: Jessalina!"

Ash's attention was caught. "Hey, I remember Jessalina."

Brock nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. She seems like such a mess that I can hardly believe she's still competing."

"So she has a Mimikyu now, huh..." Ash looked down to Pikachu, who was on his lap, raising an eyebrow. Pikachu shrugged. Ash shrugged too. "Nah, I'm just crazy."

More and more coordinators came onto the stage, all of them with wonderful performances in their own right. For the ones seeing a Contest in person for the first time, it was constant amazement. Coordinators had such impressive ways to show off their Pokémon using moves and even the water surrounding the stage. Even Ash and Brock were impressed with the level of talent at this Wallace Cup. The judges seemed to have their work cut out for them.

After a little intermission with half the coordinators finished with their performances, more coordinators came to perform. After the audience had settled back into the rhythm of the performances, Ash was chatting a bit with Brock before his attention was caught by a familiar name that he had thought maybe, just maybe, would be called sometime today.

"And now, hailing all the way from Vaniville Town in the Kalos Region, it's Serena!"

Ash's eyes widened. He looked toward the stage to see the curtains open to reveal the very girl he had been thinking about. She was wearing the first dress she got in Kalos; the one she received from her mother. Her hair had grown a bit; it just about touched her shoulders now. Serena smiled as she began to run out towards the stage. Even from far away, without seeing the big screen, Ash felt her smile reach his heart. It was easily his favorite smile. He felt her spark again. He stared, in awe; probably for a bit too long, because both Brock and Pikachu noticed Ash's blank expression and glistening eyes. Brock smiled and left it alone, deciding not to inquire about anything just yet.

Ash finally smiled, petting his partner's head. "It's really her, Pikachu."

"Alright, Mudkip and Pichu, come out!"

The two Pokémon came on stage and posed, with both a water droplet effect and a lightning effect.

"Pichu, start out with Charm!"

Pichu jumped into the air and let out a bunch of bright pink hearts, scattered throughout the stadium. It was so similar to Piplup's Bubblebeam; it was almost as if it was possible to reach out and touch them.

"Mudkip, Aqua Tail!"

Mudkip jumped too, then its tail started to glow a brilliant blue as it sent a wave of water in a huge circle around the stadium. As it made contact with Pichu's Charm, it gave the hearts a brilliant blue glow around the edges.

As this was happening, Serena and Pichu were dancing together; just like Ash remembered Serena would practice with her Pokemon back in Kalos, and now they were recreating it for the Contests.

"Wow, that Aqua Tail is just gorgeous! And it's giving those hearts a beautiful blue glow!" Vivian exclaimed. "And there it is; for those of you who have never seen Serena compete here in Hoenn before, she brings the wonderful and unique style of Kalos Pokémon Showcases to her performances. Those are dance moves you'd only see in a Kalos Performance!"

"Pichu, use Electro Ball!"

Pichu jumped again, and sent a yellow and white ball of energy forward and upward, almost towards the audience.

"Now, Mudkip, Ice Beam!"

Mudkip obliged and used Ice Beam on the Electro Ball, which froze the Electric-type move in place. The ice almost immediately shattered into frozen particles of ice, surrounded by the yellow energy of the shadow ball. The energy reflected in the ice, giving it a brilliant yellow glow.

"Wow, that's so beautiful!" Lillie said in awe. Snowy agreed from her lap.

"Now, Mudkip, Water Pledge!"

Mudkip danced a bit close to the center of the stage, before jumping and slamming its front legs down onto the stage. The water surrounding the stage started to be disturbed slightly in certain places. Soon, those spots erupted into huge geysers of water.

"Pichu, finish up with Thundershock!"

Pichu leapt up into the air and fired its Thundershock at the top of all the pillars of water. It glowed a bright yellow at the very center of the semi-circle made by the pillars. As the electricity hit the pillars, it began to run down the pillars, visibly giving off a spark effect through the entirety of each pillar, with Pichu still glowing bright in the middle. Pichu stopped its attack and the pillars of water soon stopped moving and they all collapsed back down to the water around the stage.

Pichu landed back next to Mudkip, before the two Pokémon danced a bit, while Serena twirled around once, and then everyone posed. "And that's it!"

The entire audience applauded for Serena's performance. It wasn't every day that people get to see a primarily Kalos-inspired performance. It was unique and beautiful.

The girl on stage scanned the crowd as much as she could, looking for a certain someone. Though she saw a few people standing up for her, the audience was far too large to locate any one specific person. She smiled regardless, though she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

Ash's face showed a caring smile. He was also applauding for Serena. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She waved out to the crowd before retreating back to the other side of the curtains.

Brock finally turned back to Ash, tapping him on the shoulder. "So, Ash, do you... know her?"

Ash continued to look at the place where Serena had gone back into the curtains, still smiling warmly. He pet Pikachu's head a little, causing the mouse to look up at his trainer and smile knowingly. Ash's look then became a bit more of a determined one, though obviously still a happy one. He stood up, and began to walk out of the row of seats where he and his friends were sitting. The rest of his friends noticed this too, and looked at Ash questioningly.

"Ash? Where are you going?" Mallow asked him, slightly worried.

"Ash!" Kukui tried to call out to Ash, but Ash had already made up his mind. He looked over to Pikachu on his shoulder, and grinned. Pikachu grinned back, nodding.

'Right. It's time to see her again.'

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Cute reunion next time, promise!

Felt like I should address a question I got a few times in the last chapter; no, none of the Alolan girls actually like Ash. Lana definitely doesn't. Lillie sees Ash as a proper older brother figure (you know, not edgy); someone to look up to, who she can also tease and have fun with. And Mallow just thinks Ash is kinda cute. That's all.

Also, I wish I could've come up with better Contest ideas, but I couldn't really think of anything to do. I know the point is to show off the Pokémon themselves, but it's a lot harder than I thought to come up with stuff. Hopefully I'll improve in the coming chapters. And yes, I know Pichu can't actually learn Electro Ball, but the idea behind giving Serena Pichu in the first place was to remind Serena of Ash, so I like the idea that they have similar moves.

One last thing; I actually am not including any of Dawn's rivals, May's rivals, or even introducing a new proper rival for Serena. My main reason for doing this is because, one, I'm already having trouble giving lines to all the characters I already have, and two, I want to emphasize her and Ash's budding relationship, without too much interference from friends (yet). I have an OC that I liked from a previous story I tried to write, but I ultimately decided against using her as Serena's rival just because the density of important characters is already very high. I will be introducing someone, but it's not really a rival in the traditional sense. You're just gonna have to wait until next week to find out what I mean by that.

Song: "Lightning" by State Champs from their 2018 Album "Living Proof". Listen to this song by clicking the external link below! It's a fantastic punk rock song.