"Ok Ash, I think that was really good." Serena said confidently. She was still nervous, but she had been pretty surprised with Ash's abilities for this kind of thing. She hadn't expected some of the more...graceful moves that he had been able to do. And he and Pidgeot were in complete sync, just like he and the Pokemon he'd been travelling through Kalos with.

Ash was on Pidgeot's back as they hovered in the air. "Yeah." He agreed. "You're gonna face Aria for sure."

Serena smiled and then looked at Braixen. "Braixen, what did you think? Did you like working with Pidgeot?" She asked her Pokemon.

"Brai-braixen-brai!" Braixen said happily, acknowledging Pidgeot.

Pidgeot landed and bowed towards Braixen. "Pidgaw!" It said, accepting the compliment.

Ash jumped off Pidgeot and headed over to Serena. "How about you?" He asked.

Serena looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Did you like working with me?"

Serena pretended to look like she was thinking hard about it. She frowned and said, "Well...actually Ash..."

Ash narrowed his eyes and stared. "Funny." He said. He nodded to Pidgeot that it could go and hunt for food and then he gestured towards the Pokemon centre, looking at Serena. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Serena nodded and followed him towards the Pokemon centre. She stopped just before going in and looked at the starry sky. She wished that this day hadn't gone by so quickly. It had been so perfect. She had Ash completely stunned by her fashion show outfit, she'd done perfectly in her trivia training, Ash had seemed jealous when Tierno had fawned over her and then she had spent the entire afternoon alone with him. She was excited for the showcase, of course, but she still wished she could have more time with Ash. She went inside and sighed.

She went over to where Ash was sitting. He'd already gotten some food for them, piling their plates high with food from the buffet. "Hey, I just saw Clemont and Bonnie. They're already going to bed." he said swallowing a huge mouthful. He gestured at her food. "I didn't know how much you wanted, so I just got some of everything."

"Thanks," Serena said smiling. She sat down and started to eat. She had barely eaten anything when Ash sat back, his plate completely empty. Her eyes widened. "Ash, you're gonna get sick."

He looked at her like she was speaking another language. "What?" He said. "I worked up an appetite. You should be glad I'm eating anything. Pidgeot nearly made me think I should never do it again."

Serena giggled, thinking of how Pidgeot had done an extremely impressive triple spin in midair past one of Braixen's fire blasts, but when he had landed Ash had looked like he thought he was on another planet.

Pikachu had just finished his own food and jumped up next to Serena. He nuzzled her cheek playfully. "Oh hey Pikachu," she said happily, "what's that for?"

"Pi-pikachu." Pikachu said happily, tilting his head, smiling.

Ash laughed. "No reason. Just showing he cares about you."

Pikachu went over to Ash and jumped on his head and started pawing his trainers face playfully. Serena watched the two, smiling. She admired their relationship. It was clear that they had been through a lot together and that their bond was unbreakable. "Ash, why did you get Pikachu as your starter Pokemon?" She asked suddenly. She had never asked, but she realized that Pikachu wouldn't be a starter Pokemon option in Kanto. I don't know if Pikachu is an option anywhere, she thought to herself.

Ash looked up at Pikachu and smiled, looking like it was one of his favourite stories to tell. "Well luckily for me, I slept in on the day I was supposed to get my first Pokemon and begin my journey. As you know, Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur are the starters in Kanto, but in my case, I couldn't pick any of them. When I got to the Pokemon centre, I had been behind three other trainers and they had picked the only three Pokemon left. I thought Professor Oak wasn't going to give me any Pokemon, but then he gave me Pikachu." Ash laughed again looking at Pikachu, remembering the day. "And Pikachu did not like me at the start."

Serena looked surprised and then she laughed. "No way. Pikachu didn't like you? You would never think so now."

Pikachu looked sheepish, but Ash only smiled. "Well I guess Pikachu didn't know what to think of me yet, but we worked together when a flock of angry Spearow attacked us. Then, when Pikachu was sick, I earned his trust by getting him to the Pokemon centre." His eyes looked distant, as if he was actually seeing his memory play out before him.

Serena looked at Pikachu and then at Ash. She thought for a few minutes, remembering way back to the Anistar gym and what Olympia had said, about Ash and his love for his Pokemon and how that would help his Greninja, then Frogadier, reach greater heights that nobody had before. She supposed that was already beginning with whatever that special form he took was. "Ash," she finally said, "do you think what Professor Sycamore said today has anything to do with mega evolution?"

Ash looked back at her, thinking carefully. "I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. Professor Sycamore has done a lot of work on mega evolution, so I'd say it's a safe bet that he wants my help for something to do with that." He glanced up at Pikachu. "I don't know though. If he were to offer me a mega evolution stone, I don't know if I'd want it."

Serena looked at him confused. "Why not?"

Ash exchanged a smile with Pikachu. "It's fun to battle against mega evolved Pokemon, because they're so strong, but..." he trailed off, clearly deep in thought. Serena waited patiently. She wanted to understand, but she wasn't going to rush Ash. He finally continued. "I just think that if my Pokemon are going to bring out their true power, I don't need a special stone to do it. People have often told me I should evolve Pikachu with a thunder stone, but neither of us want to do it. And you know what? Pikachu can beat any Raichu, because he and I work together and we are able to overcome anything. We-"

"Never give up." Serena finished.

Ash smiled. "Exactly."

Serena looked down suddenly, thinking of the rest of what Olympia had said. She realized that whatever Professor Sycamore wanted to do with Ash must have something to do with the danger threatening Kalos.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, looking concerned.

Serena looked back at him. "I'm just worried."

Ash gave her his confident smile. "Don't worry. You're gonna do great. You'll be Kalos Queen for sure. And if you didn't win, that's not a big deal. I still haven't won a Pokemon League, but that doesn't mean I'm done."

Serena decided not to tell him what she was actually worried about. "Uh...yeah. You're right Ash, thanks." She finally finished eating, while Ash waited patiently. She sat back in her seat and looked at Ash. "So tomorrow's the day." She stated.

Ash pumped his fist. "You bet. And you've got the first round in the bag. You'll be the most beau-" He blushed and didn't say anything else. He looked nervously at Pikachu who was smiling back at him.

Serena bit back a smile. He was going to say beautiful, she thought to herself.

"So," Ash said, voice shaking a little, "you're confident right? You know you can do this?"

Serena reached out and grabbed Ash's hand, smiling. She held it with both her own. Ash looked at her confused, mouth hanging open. "With you, I can do anything." Serena said, surprised at her confidence.

Ash managed a nervous smile. "Right. We're a team." He leaned forward. Serena's eyes widened for a second, thinking that he was going to kiss her, but he just said, "I'll be in the stands cheering for you." He paused for a moment, keeping eye contact. "And the next day, I'll be right next to you."

Ash slept well that night and woke up earlier than everyone else, even Serena, who he'd expected to be up already. He sat up in bed and just looked at her from across the room. She was sleeping on her side and facing his direction. Her mouth was open slightly and he could hear her soft breathing.

"What are you looking at her like that for?" Ash's eyes widened and he turned to see Bonnie staring at him from her bed. She had a smirk on her face and looked quite pleased as she looked Ash's stunned expression.

Ash shook his head. "I wasn't looking." He protested.

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've been watching for five minutes."

Ash scratched his head nervously and got out of bed. "I...uh...was making sure she was asleep. I thought I'd made a noise and woken her up."

Bonnie made a pouting face. "Well why didn't you make sure I was sleeping?" She giggled.

Ash ignored her and went to the bathroom to get changed. When he came back into the room Serena and Clemont were up. Ash nodded at Clemont and then looked at Serena. "You ready?"

Serena straightened herself. "Of course! Time to do this!" She said confidently and Ash grinned back. He noticed Bonnie giggling and hoped she wasn't going to say anything about his...staring.

The four of them made their way down to breakfast after Clemont, Bonnie and Serena got ready. They had just finished eating breakfast when Shauna and Tierno showed up. "Hey guys!" Shauna said. She looked at Serena. "Today's the day."

Serena nodded. "Finally."

Ash put his chin in the air in a cocky pose. "Sorry Shauna, but Serena's gonna win."

Tierno shook his head. "Shauna's been training really hard and she's got an awesome outfit for the fashion show. Not to mention the Pokemon quiz will be a breeze."

Ash narrowed his eyes, but smiled. "Well I guess the real battle will be tomorrow, huh?"

"Right." Tierno agreed, punching the air in excitement.

Bonnie sighed and flicked Ash's head. "Enough bragging about your girlfriends. Shouldn't we go?"

Ash and Tierno both stared at her with wide eyes, blushing. They both mumbled incoherently while Shauna and Serena giggled, but also blushing themselves.

"Bonnie's right." Clemont said. Then he noticed Ash give him a surprised and accusing look. "I mean about going." He said quickly. "We don't want to be late."

The six of them walked together to the performance theatre. A huge crowd of people were there. Aspiring Kalos Queens, Pokemon and a massive amount of fans and reporters. "Hey Ash! Serena!" Ash turned and saw a familiar face running towards them out of a crowd of reporters. "I thought I'd eventually find you guys here." Alexa, a friend of Ash's who was a Pokemon journalist, said.

"Hey Alexa." Ash said. He introduced Shauna and Tierno. "So I guess you're reporting on the Masterclass then?" He asked.

"Yup." She leaned forward, glancing around to make sure only the six of them could hear. "I'm hoping to write about Serena winning of course."

Shauna stepped forward. "Well she'll have to get past me."

"And me." The group turned to see Nini, another friend who was an aspiring Kalos Queen.

"Hi Nini!" Serena said happily. "I didn't know you made it"

Nini shrugged. "Of course I made it. I'm too good not too. And my Pokemon are too adorable not to be loved by the judges and audience.

"Uh..." Ash said. "Right. So why don't we go in."

The now much larger group went into the theatre and went towards the area where performers were to wait. A security guard was there to block any non-performers from entering. When the group approached he held up his hand. "Names please." Serena, Shauna and Nini gave him their names and he allowed them to pass. Alexa showed him her media credentials and he allowed her in as well. "You four will have to enter the spectators area." He told Ash, Bonnie, Clemont and Tierno.

"Oh actually Jeremy, not all of them do." They turned to see Aria walking up towards the entry desk. "I believe the male performance partners that are registered are allowed in as well."

The security guard scratched his head nervously. "Um...well actually Miss Aria...that's only tomorrow. If they make it to the third round."

"Oh couldn't you make an exception." Aria tilted her head. "For me?"

The security guard sighed. He looked at Ash, Clemont and Tierno. "Which of you are registered?"

Ash looked confused. "Registered?" He asked. Then Serena grabbed him and pulled him next to her.

"Ash is registered." She said, still holding on to Ash. When Ash looked at her questioningly she said. "I registered you yesterday."

Shauna called over Tierno and the security guard checked to make sure everything was in order. "Very well," he said, "you may go."

Clemont and Bonnie wished everyone good luck and went to go and find seats. "I'll come sit with you guys later." Alexa called to them. "I'm just going to do some interviews." They waved to her to acknowledge they'd heard her and left.

As Ash entered the waiting area, he was shocked to see all the people and Pokemon, dressed in extravagant dresses and other outfits. "Whoa, lot's of competition." He said.

Serena looked around nervously. "Yeah..." She said quietly. She looked at Sylveon who she had just let out.

Ash held her hand. "Don't worry. None of them are as beautiful as you." He looked at Sylveon. "Same with you Sylveon."

Serena blushed and Sylveon nuzzled Ash's leg. "Thanks Ash." Serena said.

Shauna and Tierno called them over to where they were standing, watching a monitor where they could see Monsieur Pierre was beginning to open the Masterclass. "Ladies and gentlemen," He said, "in a short few moments, we will begin the Masterclass showcase. The question remains unanswered. Will Queen Aria's reign end over the next two days? We shall find out. It all begins with round one. The fashion show!" The audience cheered. "The fashion show will begin in a few minutes, but first, a special surprise for you all. "Lady Aria has graciously agreed to give us a bonus performance. So, please welcome Aria, the Kalos Queen." Ash quickly looked around. He hadn't noticed Aria had left them.

The crowd was wild. Ash could hear them from the TV and also from the actual theatre. This was definitely no ordinary showcase. They watched as Aria came onto the stage. Ash was surprised how quickly she had been able to get ready. She was in a beautiful white dress and her red hair was shining brilliantly. Her Delphox was standing next to her. They performed an amazing dance. Delphox created rings of fire and Aria perfectly danced through them, before Delphox blasted them away with a powerful hidden power attack. They finished off with Delphox holding Aria and shooting fire at the ground beneath it. They rose to the top of the theatre at an angle and were over top of the crowd. Delphox released the flame, landed gracefully on its feet on a walkway in the middle of the theatre and then Aria landed perfectly, her feet landing on Delphox's outstretched front paws.

"Wow." Ash said as the crowd screamed in delight. "That was impressive." He looked at Serena who was staring at the screen blankly. He felt a pain in his hand and realized he was still holding hands with her. She was squeezing his hand really hard. "Um...Serena?"

Serena looked away from the screen and stared at him. She still had the blank look on her face and it looked like she didn't even realize it was him. Then she shook her head and to Ash's relief her grip became less tight. "Sorry...I just..." She said quietly.

Ash nodded smiling. "You were thinking about how tough it's gonna be to beat her right?" He asked.

Serena looked down and said with a shaky voice. "Yeah, she's the Queen for a reason."

Ash was still smiling and he let go of Serena's hand. She looked disappointed, but then he put his hands on her shoulders and she stared into his face, surprised. "The challenge is the fun part, Serena. If it was easy to beat Aria, why would you want to even bother trying?"

Serena smiled. "You're right." She gave a determined nod. "The harder it is, the more rewarding the victory."

"Exactly. And remember, no matter how hard it gets...?" He waited for her to finish.

"Never give up." She finished eyes shining happily.

"Serena, you'd better get ready." Shauna said. She had just gone to check the lineup of contestants. "You and I are starting near the beginning." She looked at Ash's hands on Serena's shoulders and said. "What's going on? Giving her a good luck kiss?"

Ash and Serena whipped away from each other, both of them looking extremely embarrassed. "Um...good luck Serena." Ash said. "I'm gonna...um..."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" They were interrupted by Monsieur Pierre on screen. "I have an exciting announcement to make." He paused as the crowd quieted down. "As you know, tomorrow, we have the unusual task for those who make it to the third round where our aspiring Kalos Queens will team up with a male partner. Well, we have some exciting news." He paused for dramatic effect while the audience collectively held their breath. "Upon further reflection, we have decided that it would be much more exciting for the male partners to be involved the whole way through. Because of course, a queen needs a king. So, in addition to teaming up for the third round for the performance, the male partners shall also escort their lovely ladies onto the stage for the fashion show and shall also participate in the Pokemon quiz as well. And..." He smiled. "one more thing. Maybe the most exciting of all. The final battle against Aria will be a tag battle between the champions of the first three rounds and Aria, along with her partner...moi!" The crowd went wild and Monsieur Pierre held up his hands and the screams quieted down. "Now we have given the participants and additional hour to get prepared. In the meantime, enjoy this special performance from our dancing and singling Jigglypuff team!"

This time Ash stared blankly at the screen. He started mouthing uncontrollably. How could they throw into this. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't been doing this stuff for as long as Serena or any of the others. How was he going to help her. He looked at Serena and she looked back smiling. "No matter how hard it gets..." She said.

Ash took a deep breath and smiled. "Never give up."

Shauna squeaked in excitement. "Oh this is such a good idea. It's a really good way to test everyone's abilities. If you can't work with unexpected challenges like this, you don't deserve to be Kalos Queen." She looked excitedly at Serena. "And you know how good Monsieur Pierre is right?"

Serena shook her head. "He came in second place in the Kalos League once. His Pokemon are extremely powerful. He also won top coordinator in the Johto region once."

"Second in the Kalos League?" Ash said in excitement. He looked up at Pikachu on his head. "We've gotta get to that final!"

Serena smiled at Ash's enthusiasm, but then looked at Shauna confused. "What's a top coordinator?"

Ash spoke up again and Serena and Shauna looked at him in surprise as he explained. "Coordinators compete in contests with Pokemon. They do something like these performances, but it's not with the quizzes and fancy outfits. It's more about showing off fancy moves from Pokemon. My friends May and Dawn both competed in a lot of Pokemon contests." He thought for a moment. "Monsieur Pierre must be really good though if he won. Those contests can get pretty tough."

Shauna raised an eyebrow at Serena. "Well there you go. So...not gonna be easy." She looked around. "Now where did Tierno go? I'm not letting him wear that stupid t-shirt on stage." She went off to go and find him.

Serena looked at Ash. "So you're up for this then right?"

Ash looked up at Pikachu who nodded. "Yup!" He said looking back at Serena. "So which Pokemon should I use?"

Serena smiled happily. "I know exactly who you should use." She thought for a second. "And I've got a great idea for your outfits"

Ash looked at Pikachu nervously. "Outfits?"

"Don't worry," Serena said, "you'll look great."