Cerulean City…

Many things had changed in the Kanto region over the course of the past two years. During an International Pokémon Competition and Cultural Exchange Festival, many people showed interest in bringing some of the competitions from other regions. More specifically, many female trainers quickly took a liking for the Pokémon Showcases from the Kalos region, and so they started petitioning for them to be brought to Kanto. Their call was heard, and after receiving the official approval from the Kanto Pokémon League Committee, in a matter of months they started building Performance Halls in all of the important cities and towns across the region. One of those, of course, being Cerulean City, hometown to the very famous Sensational Sisters as well as the local Gym Leader, Misty Waterflower.

It goes without saying that Misty was quite surprised that all of a sudden, one of her older sisters showed interest in working again with Pokémon, when until two years ago she preferred to enjoy making aquatic shows, acting or modelling. However, all the hype from the Pokémon Showcases quickly spread into the second sister, Violet, who enrolled these competitions just as soon as she got her first chance. And much to Misty’s shock, she turned out not to be half-bad at them, and she loved all of the glamour and the attention she received from the crowds. Well, there was no problem with that, but after she had won two Princess Keys, Violet seemed to… get her head a little too high, to the point Misty was starting to get a little annoyed and bored. She had no problem with lending her Pokémon to Violet for these competitions, but having to endure her boasting over her achievements all around the place… that was starting to get old real fast.

And of course, when one of said competitions took place in their home city, Misty, almost dragged into it by Daisy and Lily, had gone to show her support to Violet. While the first and third sisters rooted for her victory wholeheartedly, the youngest on just showed it “nominally”, since deep down, she was hoping someone would knock her down a peg or two. They were already on the Free Performance round, so the winner would soon be decided.

Amongst the crowds, in the middle of all the applause and screaming, Misty was the only one who remained quiet, resting her head over her hand with an expression of boredom as she watched Violet’s presentation, using Staryu, Corsola and Politoed. Looking on the bright side, Misty could appreciate the accessories her Pokémon were wearing, they actually looked really cute and were clearly having fun, plus using their attacks in such creative ways occasionally gave her ideas for battle strategies at the Gym. That was the only way to cope with it.

“WOOOOOOOHH! You go, Violet, that’s the way to go!” Daisy cried out in excitement.

“You win, sister, you totally do!” Lily screamed as she flailed her arms around. She then turned towards the youngest sister. “Misty, like, why aren’t you rooting for Violet?”

“I am, just by being here,” the redhead replied with a dry voice. As if she tried to emphasize her sarcasm, she produced a small flag with her sister’s face and waved it around. “Yay, Violet, yay.”

“Incredible, like, who can you not get excited with a show like this?” Lily protested. Unable to do anything else, she went back to root for her sister.

Misty let out a sight. She could get excited about the show, what she wasn’t excited about was the thought of how unbearable would get Violet once she got her hands on her third Princess Key. That was the last one she needed to classify for the Master Class, and winning in her “local turf” would be a milestone for her (admittedly still short) Pokémon Performer record. Although being impartial, the bluenette and the Pokémon were doing a great job, and the grand finale was proof of that: Staryu and Politoed shot their Water Guns describing a spiral pattern, which Corsola froze with an Ice Beam, creating a very imposing ice sculpture in the center of the stage. Considering how limited she was with the elemental types by having Water as their specialty, she clearly knew her stuff.

“Finish!” Violet announced, making her final pose.

“A very impressive presentation from Violet, worthy of one of the Cerulean Sensational Sisters!” the hostess said. “Everyone, let’s give her a grand applause!”

The grand ovation quickly followed, which made sense since over half the crowd were locals and of course would support her unconditionally. Misty was the only one whose clapping was leaning more to the sarcastic side, since despite enjoying the performance, just hearing her sister down there shouting “Thank you, thank you, I love you all!” as she sent flying kisses to the crowd, she could see it coming that she would celebrate all night long like never before, and Misty would most likely not get any sleep.

“And now, our final contestant today. Coming to us from the other side of the ocean, the winner of the last Kalos Queen title, give it up for… Serena, from Vaniville Town!” the hostess announced.

The last participant appeared on the stage. She could be seen more clearly on the big screens: it was a girl more or less around Misty’s age, with long, honey-blond hair tied in a ponytail, and blue eyes. Misty admitted to herself that she liked the design of her dress. And looking back, during the Theme Performance round she saw her win on the styling using a Pokémon Misty had never seen before, supposedly an evolved form of Eevee known as Sylveon, which she thought was really beautiful. Now she was on the stage with three different Pokémon: a female Roselia, a Froslass and another Fire-type, red and yellow vulpine-like Pokémon who towered over its owner. Misty didn’t recognize its species, fortunately the screens had the kindness of identifying it as a female “Delphox”. Misty imagined it would be a species native to Kalos.

“Aaaand… START!”

The music rolled and the show started. Serena had Roselia start with a Petal Dance all over the stage. While the petals were still in midair, Delphox used Psychic to get them to float towards Froslass as she performed an elegant spin, all the while creating a Powdered Snow to freeze them solid. Still using her psychic powers to keep the frozen petals floating in the air forming a large ring, Delphox then used her Mystical Fire to create a flaming ring inside the petal ring, and then made it explode causing the frozen petals to shatter and create a beautiful stardust falling over the stage.

“Well, well, sis, looks like your match just arrived,” Misty whispered as she watched Serena’s performance.

Of course, that phrase could be interpreted in many ways, but to Misty, it meant that perhaps the person who could give her sister a run for her money had just appeared. She had to admit it, that Serena girl knew what she was doing, as she continued to move around with her Pokémon all around the stage; despite the apparent risk of working with Pokémon of those specific types (Ice, Grass and Fire), they synchronized with such perfection that no matter how many people were on the edge of their seats almost expecting that a flaming spark would catch Roselia and set her on fire or something like that, it never happened. The Performer and the three Pokémon were always aware of where the others were, what they had to do, how and when.

“Showoffs,” Lily pouted, when she saw Roselia and Froslass leaping through a pair of flame rings created by Delphox, leaving behind themselves trails of petals and snow, and both of them coming out with so much of a single scorch.

And as they approached the grand finale, Roselia made appear on the center of the stage a large tree trunk with branches, but with no leaves on it. Serena commanded her to spread over this leafless tree her Poison Powder. With her Mystical Fire, and control that could only be described as “perfect”, Delphox ignited the toxic particles, using her psychic powers to give the flames a specific form, making them stand out as if they were the tree’s leaves. But they weren’t done just yet: Froslass gave it the final touch using her ice powers to create a small boreal aurora boreal above, and some mist on the base of the tree so as to add even more deepness.

“Finish!” Serena posed as the music ended, with an ample smile on her face.

If Violet had gotten a grand ovation, Serena’s was quite literally a standing ovation. Even Misty was so impressed that she stood up to applause, much to her other sisters’ chagrin, who instead chose to boo at her.

“What an incredible elemental combination, worthy of a Kalos Queen!” the hostess declared. “Thank you so much, Serena! And now, please all the participants come up on the stage, it’s time to decide who is our grand winner!”

The other four finalists, Violet included, joined Serena on the stage. They all stood up in a row as the hostess raised her wand asking for everyone in the crowd to take theirs so they would vote for their favorite. Misty knew exactly who she wanted NOT to vote for, but out of “family loyalty” and because Violet and the other two were watching and would notice if she didn’t, she pressed the blue light to vote for her. Most of the lights that flew off from the stands were either blue (for Violet) or pink (for Serena), with just a few in green, yellow and red for the other participants. Finally, the results were announced: an impressive 45% of votes for Violet… which would have been enough if it wasn’t because Serena secured a 51%, with all of the remaining 4% spread between the other three. From her place, Misty didn’t need to get close to know that, in that very moment, Violet’s expression of shock would have to match, or worse, those of Daisy and Lily, but she had to hold back her laughter.

“And our winner is… Serena! Congratulations!” the hostess announced while the crowd (except for a few select and Misty’s sisters) cheered for her. “And now, as proof of your victory, here you are, the Cerulean Princess Key!”

The hostess, accompanied by the Keychain Pokémon, Klefki, bringing along the precious key, approached Serena to present it to her as soon as the Pokémon released it. The key had platinum borders, the tip was golden and the grip had a tear-shaped sapphire.

“Alright, the Cerulean Princess Key is mine!” Serena happily raised the key over her head, celebrating her victory, while Violet seemed to be fighting in the inside between breaking down crying or lunging at her to take it. How could she lose to her being a local?

“And with this the competition is over, fans! We’ll meet again next time, and to all our participants, remember to keep aiming to the top to become real queens!”

“This cannot be, like, Violet totally lost?” Lily said. “And who’s that Serena, anyway?”

“Were you paying attention?” Misty snapped back. “The hostess said she won the title of Kalos Queen. I mean, hello? She’s a veteran.”

“Tch, lucky veteran,” Daisy said.

Misty once again exhaled a sigh in resignation. If these two were this mad, she didn’t want to imagine how much would be Violet, her being the one who lost directly. If there was something the Cerulean Gym Leader knew perfectly and firsthand, it was that there was no shame in losing to someone who had more experience. Serena looked younger, but having already a title of Queen in her own region, unlike Violet who had just gotten started that year in the competitions, why were they surprised with the results?

Of course, Misty wouldn’t complain. She wanted someone to serve a slice of humble pie to her sister, and Serena did. Just for that, and the great show her and Pokémon gave, it was well worth having come.

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A little later…

The Showcase concluded, the crowd left the hall’s premises slowly. It had been a great show, and the spectators were more than satisfied just of having watched it. As for the participants, while some of them accepted their defeat after giving their all and promised themselves to work harder for the next competitions, others didn’t take it so well. Amongst the latter, of course, was Misty’s sister.

“Cheer up, Violet, it was a close one,” Daisy said.

“Yeah, you’ll totally make it next time,” Lily added.

“It’s so not fair!” the bluenette complained. “How could that cutesy girl beat me, being definitely less pretty than moi?”

“There, there, let’s go home,” Daisy said. “You just need one more Princess Key, and there’s still a whole lot of Showcases ahead. You’ll totally dazzle everyone next time.”

As she watched her two other sisters guiding the depressed Violet towards the exit, Misty couldn’t help but feel this was one of those rare instances where she was glad to not to be an only child in her family. With Daisy and Lily to comfort Violet for her defeat, she didn’t need to take part. Plus, all the while she wished for someone to knock her off her pedestal, and considering how irritating she had become since she started performing on the Showcases, she’s be lying if she said she wasn’t glad with the result.

And speaking of which, on her way out she spotted through a hallway the winner, the girl with honey-colored hair whose name, if she had heard right, was Serena. She had just left her dressing room and had changed into her normal clothes, and she was now congratulating her Pokémon for a job well done giving them what seemed to be some snacks. Unsure as to why, Misty suddenly stopped.

“Ah, girls? You go ahead without me, I’ll catch up later. I’m gonna stay a little longer.”

“Don’t stay too long, remember who has to, like, run the gym,” Lily said.

“As if I needed a reminder of that,” Misty replied with a frown. “I’ll be back before dinnertime, alright?”

Not waiting for the response, Misty walked her own way, towards Serena while her sisters kept on going towards the exit. Indeed, when she approached Serena, she was handing her Pokémon what seemed to be different-colored puffs, and they were delighted to snack on them with a lot of gusto. Serena had five Pokémon in total: her Sylveon, the three she used for her Freestyle Performance and another Misty didn’t recognize: a very small panda-lookalike wearing sunshades on his head and with a small leaf protruding out of the mouth, who seemed a little annoyed, although Serena petted on his head and spoke to him with a kind voice:

“There, there, Pancham, you’ll have your chance next time. We had to give Roselia and Froslass their time to shine, remember?”

“Pan, pancham,” the little one said, softening his expression. He then turned to see Misty, and Serena followed suit.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I just… wanted to congratulate you on your victory,” Misty replied. “It was an amazing performance, really.”

“Thanks.” Serena then stood up to face her. “We rehearsed for over two weeks, I’m glad our efforts paid off. And you are…?”

“Ah, sorry for my manners. I’m Misty. I’m the local Pokémon Gym Leader,” she said extending her hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Misty.” Serena gladly shook hands with her. At first glance she seemed quite nice. Misty approached her a little more to take a look at her partners.

“You’ve got some nice and cute Pokémon, I’d say,” she commented. In particular, despite her own affinity for Water-type Pokémon, Misty couldn’t help but admire the Delphox’s fur, it was really shiny and well-groomed.

“Thanks. With this, we have our final Princess Key to enter the Kanto Master Class, I’m really proud of them all.” Serena happily showed her keychain holding the three Princess Keys. “Alright, everyone, it’s time for a well-earned break, it’s been a long day.”

With this, the girl took all of her Poké Balls and returned them all, then placing them all inside her pochette. She was ready to leave, but Misty, seeing that she had managed to strike a conversation with her, took a little more interest on the girl and decided to talk a little more.

“Your name’s Serena, isn’t it?” Serena nodded in response. “You know, a new ice-cream parlor was opened very close of here, would you like to come? I could treat you something if you want.”

“Really? That’s so kind of you, but I don’t want to be a bother,” Serena replied.

“It’s no bother,” Misty assured her. “That would be my way to say thanks.”

“Thanks?” Serena stared at her, confused. They had just met, why would she want to thank her for?

“One of the participants you beat on the final round, maybe you recognized her, long, dark blue hair,” Misty explained, and Serena nodded. “She’s my sister, actually. Believe it or not, since she got into this Pokémon Showcase stuff, she’s been doing so well, it’s gone over her head and sometimes she’s just… I can’t stand her. Really, it’s hard being the youngest sister in my family.”

“I can only imagine,” Serena said. Of course, with her being an only child, she had no idea on how would that be.

“Between us, these past few days I’ve been wishing somebody would knock her down a peg or two, see if she cooled off a little.” Misty explained. “And then, as if Arceus answered my prayers, you showed up.”

“Oh, I see.” Serena finally understood. She couldn’t help but giggle a little, it actually was a funny situation.

“So what do you say? An ice-cream to celebrate your victory? It’s on me,” Misty insisted.

“Since you put it that way, it would be rude of me to refuse your kindness,” Serena finally agreed. “In that case, please lead the way, I’m new in the city.”

With that, both girls left the hall, going towards the parlor. Misty the strange sensation that she had just made a new and great friend. She had no idea how much.

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At the ice-cream parlor…

The new parlor Misty mentioned was much bigger than Serena imagined, and it was so full of people that, while Misty went to order, Serena had to stay at one of the outside tables, all of them adorned with parasols decorated as Poké Balls, keeping the place reserved for them. A few minutes later, Misty came back with two full and creamy chocolate and vanilla sundaes, and took a seat in front of Serena as she handed her one of them.

“Enjoy,” Misty said, as she took her own spoon to start scooping.

“Hmm, this is great,” Serena said as she tasted it. “I’ll have to remember coming here every time I visit this city.”

As they scooped down their sundaes, Serena looked around, and she couldn’t help but notice that many of the tables nearby were occupied by young couples. That was a little hard to ignore, especially when they could hear some girls saying “Come on, say aaahhh” trying to get the spoon into their boyfriends’ mouths, and a few others going a little further by “cleaning” the leftover ice-cream on the side of their lips.

“This quickly became a very popular date spot,” Misty said, quickly knowing what Serena was thinking with a single glance.

“Must be great, coming here with someone special,” Serena agreed, her thoughts quickly drifting into a very particular black-haired boy.

“Yeah, it is.” Misty also thought of someone she would like to invite someday. “Meanwhile, how about we get to know each other? Will you tell me a little about yourself?”

“There’s not much to tell,” the Performer replied. “I come from Vaniville Town, in the Kalos region.”

“The Kalos region, that’s where the Pokémon Showcases first started, isn't it?"

“Yeah.” Serena nodded. “Although after my first year, I realized I had a lot to learn, so I decided to change my approach, and try my luck as a Coordinator in Pokémon Contests. I traveled through Hoenn, and later Sinnoh.”

“And how did it go?” Misty asked, clearly interested.

“Not too bad, even if I say so.” Serena answered with modesty. “I made it to the Top 4 in the Hoenn Grand Festival, and runner-up in Sinnoh. I won’t deny, I would have loved to win, but I did my best and I feel satisfied. It was well worth it just with the experience, and besides, it was in those regions I could meet my Roselia and Froslass.”

“Sure, meeting new Pokémon and making new friends it’s always something worth it, wherever you go.” Misty smiled.

“I agree. And everything I learned at Hoenn and Sinnoh helped me a lot to improve my presentations when I tried once again to become Kalos Queen. And I finally succeeded last year.”

“Congrats on that one,” Misty said. “And if you don’t mind me asking, is there any particular reason you decided to try now at Kanto? I’m just saying because, if I’m not mistaken, it’s been just one year since the Pokémon Showcases first started in this region.”

“Actually, there is,” Serena admitted. “There’s someone here in Kanto, whom I promised I would become stronger, and to whom I said he would be my personal goal. He always has fought really hard for his dreams and never gives up, and he inspired me to follow his example in doing the same with my own. When I found out they were opening Pokémon Showcases here in Kanto, I thought perhaps he could watch me. I want him to see how far I’ve come since the last time we met.”

Misty gave her a half smirk. She was pretty good at reading people’s voices and body language, and judging by the way Serena spoke of this person, not to mention how all of a sudden she took her hand towards the blue ribbon she wore on the collar, it didn’t take a genius to piece everything together and realize she was talking about a boy she had a crush on. Of course, Serena didn’t take long to notice the way Misty stared at her, and she felt a little uncomfortable.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?”

“C’mon, don’t play dumb. Obviously it’s a boy you’re in love with, isn’t it?” Serena didn’t answer, but the blush on her cheeks, looking away and nervously playing around with her fingertips was all the answer the redhead needed. Still, she didn’t want to push too much on the meanness, so she went for cheering her up a little. “Hey, if you can make a presentation half as good as the one you made today, I’m sure you’ll dazzle him completely.”

“You think so?”

“No, I don’t think so, I know you will.” Misty winked at her. “You’ve got talent, Serena, I can see that. Also, I’ve got a feeling you’ll leave a mark as the first Kanto Queen in the Pokémon Showcases.”

“Thanks, it means a lot to me you say that.” Serena was really grateful at her words. “Okay, I think now it’s time for you to tell me about yourself. You said you were a Gym Leader, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. The Cerulean Gym specializes in Water-type Pokémon. I grew surrounded by them my whole life, so I’ve grown to love them like you have no idea.”

“That’s cute,” Serena said.

“Although at first, I decided to travel for a bit to hone my skills, before I officially took the post,” Misty explained. “The Gym belongs to my family, and since we’re four sisters, the others were first on the line to inherit it. But, turns out they don’t enjoy battling as much as I do. Instead, they’d rather perform aquatic shows with the Pokémon. It’s not like I have anything against it, but since they neglected the main aspect of the Gym, you have no idea how damaged our reputation became.”

“And what did you do about it?” Serena asked.

“About two or three years of traveling and earning some experience, I figured it was due time to come back home,” Misty replied. “And just in the nick of time, our Gym was about to be evaluated by the P.I.C, and we were this close of getting it shut down.”

“Oh, no.” Serena gasped, covering her mouth. “But in the end, everything went just fine, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, just fine. I won’t deny, sometimes I miss traveling, but the Gym is my home, and it’s always nice to have a place to come back to.”

“Yeah, I know what that is like.” Serena nodded, as she tasted the last scoop of her sundae. “Well, thanks a lot for the ice-cream, Misty, pleasure in talking to you.”

“No, on the contrary, it was all my pleasure,” Misty replied. “You leaving already?”

“Yeah, I need to get back to the Pokémon Center. I’ll spend a couple more days in the city, so if you want to talk again, you can meet me there.”

“I might stop by, if I’m not too busy,” Misty said. “You know, if not many challengers come to the Gym and that.”

“Of course.” Serena smiled. “In any case, thanks for inviting me, see you around.”

“Yeah, bye.”

Bidding goodbye to her newfound friend, Misty watched as the young Kalos Performer made her way towards the Pokémon Center, while she continued scooping down what remained of her sundae, maybe she’d order a second. At first glance, she thought that Serena was a really cute, sweet and nice girl, not to mention extremely talented if that presentation she did during the competition was any indication. Also, there was that determination she had, boosted by the desire of wanting to impress that boy she liked. Some would call that childish and corny, but Misty thought it was admirable, besides, she knew perfectly what a great source of motivation was to do something not just for yourself, but for another person.

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A couple days later…

The next two days, Misty was so busy fighting challengers at the Gym, she unfortunately had no time to visit Serena at the Pokémon Center as she had promised. She was lucky because that afternoon her sisters had scheduled an aquatic show, so she was finally free. Serena did say that she would stay a couple more days, so maybe with any luck she could still catch her before she left. She left her bike at the parking slot and after placing the safety lock, she went up the stairs.

“Hope I’m not too late,” she said, mentally scolding herself for not exchanging contact info with Serena while they were at the parlor.

Fortunately, when she entered, she spotted her at the reception desk, conversing with Nurse Joy and handing her something, which looked like a pair of boxes. She let out a sigh of relief, her new friend hadn’t left town yet.

“Hey, Serena!” she called out. The Performer turned around to see her.

“Ah, Misty.” Serena smiled at her. “Looks like it won’t be necessary, Nurse Joy.”

“Well, that makes things easier for us.” Nurse Joy pulled out from under the desk the two boxes Serena had given her, and Misty quickly took notice on how neatly decorated they were, with one of the two even having what seemed like a card.

“Misty, it’s good to see you again,” Serena said. “You’re just in time, I was just leaving right now.”

“I figured as much,” the redhead said, scratching the back of her neck. “Silly me, should have exchanged contact info while we were at the ice-cream parlor.”

“That would have been convenient, although I was planning on leaving you mine here, in case you came and I was gone already,” Serena said.

“In any case, it won’t make any harm to do it now. Nurse Joy, do you have something I can write with?”

“Sure, here you are.” The nurse pulled out of her apron’s pocket a pen and a small memo to hand them over to Misty. The redhead quickly wrote down something, pulled out the sheet and handed it over to Serena, giving back Joy the pen and memo and thanking her for them.

“My personal number, and also that of my Gym. Also my e-mail address, so we can keep in touch.”

“Thank you very much.” Serena put the sheet into her pochette and grabbed the two boxes so as to give them to Misty. “Truth to be told, I had something for you too. I wanted to properly thank you for inviting me that ice-cream, so I made these for you. There’s a cake in this box, and this other has some Poképuffs for your Pokémon. You told me your Gym specializes in Water-types, so I baked them specifically for them, I hope they will like them.”

“Wow, that’s really considerate of you, thanks,” Misty said.

“Ah, and my contact address is on the card,” Serena quickly added. “I included my PokéVision channel, in case you’d like to follow me there.”

“That’s great, that way I can be up to speed with your activities.”

“Well, Nurse Joy, thanks for everything, it’s time for me to go now.” Serena bowed.

“Travel well,” the nurse replied.

As they exited the Pokémon Center, Misty decided to escort Serena until the city’s exit, so they could chat a little more before saying goodbye. They didn’t seem like two girls who had just met, anyone who saw them would probably think they were the best of friends, seeing how much they laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. On the way, Misty finally couldn’t resist to try and taste the cake. Serena told her to feel free to do so, since she had baked it herself.

“Hmm, this is delicious,” the redhead said. “You really made it yourself?”

“I don’t want to brag, but I’m not bad at baking,” Serena modestly replied.

“Wow, I couldn’t do this even if my life depended on it,” Misty said. “Whoever that boy is, he’s gonna be really lucky if he gets to eat something like this on a regular basis.”

“I hope so,” Serena said in a wishful tone. “He’s always been a glutton, I know how much he loves food, and in large amounts.”

“That sounds like someone I know.” Misty smiled. “And speaking of gluttons, I better keep this well hidden from my sisters. They’re in one of their diets, so if they so much see or smell it, they won’t be able to help themselves, and they’ll later blame me for it.”

Serena giggled at that comment. It seemed like Misty had quite a peculiar relationship with her sisters, from what she could deduce with all they had talked so far. She seemed to be the odd duck who stood out from the others for being different. Finally they both reached the city’s exit and they stopped to say goodbye.

“Well, this is as far as I can come,” Misty said.

“Yeah, now I have to go on my own, I have to be ready for the final competition,” Serena replied. “Although I’ll make another stop first.”

“Another stop?”

“A friend’s birthday is coming up soon, but since the final competition will be the same day I won’t be able to attend,” Serena explained. “So I guess I’ll stop by to give him his gift a little ahead.”

“Hmm, and this friend of yours… is it that boy you’re in love with?” Misty asked with interest.

“Well… yes, that’s him,” Serena shyly answered, once again blushing and playing with her fingertips. Misty squinted her eyes and smiled at her. Someone was really infatuated.

“Well, in that case, best of luck out there in your performance,” Misty said. “And with that boy too.”

“Thanks. I might stop by to visit you some other time.”

Bidding her goodbye to her new friend, Misty turned around and began pedaling back to the Gym, while Serena walked forward towards the road. She felt really excited at the prospect of winning in the Kanto region. Perhaps, with luck, he would see her on TV. Once she was on the outskirts of Cerulean City and with the civilization almost out of sight, she pulled out a Poké Ball out of her pochette.

“Come out for a bit,” she said as she activated it, letting its occupant out.

“Ninja!”

The Pokémon coming out of the ball was a Greninja, although he looked slightly different from the normal members of this species, due to some details in red and black around his face, and a giant shuriken made of pure water he had on his back.

“You can get some air for a bit. I’m sure Ash will be very happy to see you,” the girl said happily.

Serena didn’t know if it was fate that she managed to run into the Greninja who belonged to Ash, but she wouldn’t complain. The ninja frog had spent the past four or five years traveling far and wide the Kalos region almost to the last inch, seeking to destroy every single remnant of that disaster caused by the Team Flare goons, to ensure that the catastrophe that befell on Lumiose City would never happen again. Serena had the strange feeling that, once he had completed his mission, Greninja deliberately went looking for her, so she could help him reunite with his trainer once again. That was going to be her gift for Ash before his birthday. She had no doubt that he would be very happy to see an old friend after so long.

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Three months later…

Even though Serena and Misty didn’t see each other in person since that day, the Performer-Coordinator took to regularly call the Gym to say hi, usually once or twice a week. Meanwhile, Misty took to follow Serena’s channel in PokéVision so as to keep in touch with her activities. She really enjoyed the girl’s videos, to the point she was starting to consider opening up her own channel in a near future. Of course, the crowning moment came during the Master Class Showcase, the final competition for the title of Kanto Queen. Even though Daisy and Lily supported Violet 100% (and admittedly, she had worked hard and earned her place to reach that point), while they watched it on TV, Misty was leaning more to root for Serena, and it goes without saying that she was quite happy when her friend received the winner’s trophy and she along with her Pokémon were given the tiaras.

Of course, Misty couldn’t say that out loud so as to not to make Violet get even more depressed than she was (“there’s always next year”, that was what Daisy and Lily said), so she limited herself to give Serena a call to congratulate her on her victory in private, and telling her, if she had the chance, to stop by at the gym so she could properly congratulate her in person. Serena promised to do so just as soon as she had the chance, perhaps in a couple of weeks she would pass through the city.

That day, Misty was in the middle of an official gym battle against another of the many trainers coming to challenge her for a badge. The challenger came in boasting a big deal for having won already his fifth regional badge, and he seemed to be quite confident with a team that seemed ready for anything the Gym Leader. Misty had to admit he didn’t do so badly: his Electabuzz defeated Starmie, and after the former fell to Seadra, who later forced a double K.O. Luxio, the two were left with a single Pokémon for the challenge. The trainer seemed quite smug when he brought out his Ivysaur, convinced that it could handle anything Misty whipped out on him. No doubt he didn’t expect the Gym Leader to bring out the big guns, and now he was paying the price for his arrogance.

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“Gyarados, Flamethrower!”

“ROAAAAAAARR!”

After a mighty roar and an intense stream of fire, a cooked-to-medium Ivysaur lied defeated on one of the pool’s platforms, unable to get back up, and on the other side, a trainer whose lower jaw dangled threatening to fall down to the floor.

“Ivysaur is unable to continue! Gyarados wins and the match goes to the Gym Leader!” declared Daisy, as she was acting as the official referee.

“No fair! How could I lose like that?” the incredulous trainer exclaimed, recalling his roasted Pokémon.

“So much for a trainer who boasts having won his fifth badge,” Misty said dryly, approaching to pat her Gyarados on the head for a job well done.

“This isn’t over, I’ll be back!” the challenger yelled, leaving in a huff and stomping furiously as he walked towards the exit.

“Sheesh, speaking of a sore loser,” Misty said as she recalled Gyarados back to her Poké Ball.

“Was that the last challenger?” Daisy asked. “We should be closing the gym for today.”

“Yeah, I’ve had enough too.”

Misty stretched her arms for a bit. Maybe she’d feel like going for a swim later, to relax, since that day she had had five battles in a row, all of them ending in victories for her. On the hallway, she bumped into Lily, who came over with a pile of traditional mail. Most of them were letters or gifts from admirers, and she was sorting which were for her or for the others.

“Hey, runt, this one’s for you,” she said as she threw a yellow envelope at Misty. This one had the official stamp of the Pokémon League, all of the official mail from the league was always specifically addressed at the Gym Leader.

“Thanks very much,” Misty snarked, a little annoyed both at being called “runt” as well as getting the envelope thrown at her. However, the annoyance quickly faded out when she opened it up and saw the contents.

In the past few months, the Pokémon League Committee was making raffles with various prizes amongst the Gym Leaders and other official members, including but not limited cars and motorcycles, prize money, state-of-the-art Pokémon training kits, and in Misty’s, certificates for a vacation to any touristic destination of the winner’s preference, inside or outside of Kanto if they desired, with all of the expenses covered. This one had a three-week of everything paid, with slots for her and two more people. All she had to do was sending the acceptance form with the official seal of approval along with her personal info as well as that of the two people who would come along. The question was, who else would she invite?

It didn’t take long before Lily realized her little sister smiled with delight at whatever she had in front. Whatever it was, the pinkette usually couldn’t resist to pry on the youngest girl’s things, especially when she got something good for herself.

“Like, why are you smiling like that?”

“Nothing.” Misty quickly held onto her envelope to protect its contents.

“You don’t smile like that at ‘nothing’. What did they send you?” Lily insisted.

“That’s none of your concern,” Misty replied. “The League sent it, so it’s mine.”

“Don’t be such a meanie, let me see that,” she said, almost going over her to take the envelope, but Misty went ahead of her.

“I said no. No, Lily, I said no!”

Misty pulled back the hand holding the envelope, while she used the other one to keep Lily away from it. Despite being the youngest of the three, Misty was more used to the physical effort than her other three sisters, and despite Lily’s struggle, she was unable to overpower or take the envelope to find out its contents. Of course, Misty couldn’t allow that, since as soon as she saw it, she would want to share. And the idea her sisters had of sharing was “what is yours is ours, and what is ours is ours”.

“Let me see, let me see!” Lily cried out stretching out her arms.

“I said no, cut it out!” Misty exclaimed, trying to keep the envelope out of her reach.

“Wow, wow, what’s wrong over here?” Suddenly Daisy’s voice spoke up. Misty took a couple of seconds to realize the envelope was no longer in her hand, but in her eldest sister’s.

“Daisy, give that back!” Misty yelled, trying to get it back, but just like she had managed to keep Lily away, Daisy kept her away from the envelope, and the third sister took her chance to grab her from below the armpits so the eldest one could pull out the envelope’s contents. Misty started kicking around. “Cheater, let me go!”

“What do we have here? Well, what do you know?” the blonde said as she pulled out the contents, and her eyes glittered as she read the contents out loud:

“Congratulations, you are one of the happy winners of the Pokémon League Committee Annual Raffle, and your prize is a full paid vacation for three persons for three weeks to any touristic destination of your choice, inside or outside of the Kanto region, including the hotel stay and trip aboard the deluxe cruiser S.S. Anne departing from the Vermillion Port. Enclosed to this message is the acceptance form that only requires for your official approval seal along with the personal information of the three persons who will take this trip, and you just need to send it in a period of ten business days after receiving this message to make it effective.

Sincerely, from the Desk of the General Secretary of the Pokémon League.”

“Paid vacations? Totally paid? Any destination? Deluxe cruiser?” Lily exclaimed, letting go of Misty and approaching to see the certificate with her own eyes.

“Wow, Lily, I’m surprised you could process that much info. And you, give it back.” Misty quickly took the envelope from Daisy.

“Misty, this is great!” Lily quickly went squeeing like a girl about to open her Christmas presents. “Please say you’ll take me, do say yes! Do say yes!”

“Calm down,” Misty said. “This prize is mine, so I get to choose who comes with me.”

“Aw, don’t be such a spoilsport,” the pinkette insisted. “You’ve got, like, two extra slots, is it so hard sharing with your big sister? Plus, Violet could totally use something like this, after that total bummer on the Master Class Showcase.”

“Do you have to remind me?” Misty asked.

After the Master Class competition, Violet spent a whole week sulking about not being able to get the title of Kanto Queen, and the worst part was having been beaten by none other than Serena, the same one who beat her to the Cerulean Princess Key months before. It had been bad enough having lost in her home city, but being beaten twice on a row by the same girl just added insult to injury, and she was still recovering from it. Of course, Misty felt that, with all the work he had done in the gym she had earned a good vacation and fully intended to put to good use this prize she had just won, and she didn’t plan to spoil it by having to put up with a depressed sister. Best thin she could do would be trying to fill the slots ASAP.

“I’ve already got someone in mind to invite,” she said firmly. “And I’m sorry to say it’s none of you girls.”

“Eeehh? Aw, c’mon, don’t be a meanie. Who else could you invite?” Lily asked.

“If I had to guess, first person in her list would be a certain trainer from Pallet Town,” Daisy said, as unintentionally. But even Lily caught wind of her message.

“Ash? Alright, Misty can take her boyfriend, but there’s still one slot left. Mine.”

“For the umpteenth time, Ash is not my boyfriend!” Misty blushed furiously, although deep down she wished she didn’t have to say it that way. “And what happened to that thing you said about Violet needing the vacation?”

“Aw, she can survive,” Lily replied. “Come on, Misty, like, be nice to your big sister and share.”

“Yeah, just like you three have shared everything with me,” Misty deadpanned. “No, miss, none of you is coming with me. As soon as I find someone to fill the third slot I’m sending this back.”

“Misty, you’re so cruel!”

Right in that moment, either opportunely or inopportunely, the entrance’s intercom rang, but with Misty and Lily arguing, and Daisy having too much fun in watching Lily begging Misty to let her come along on that trip, Violet was the only one left to answer. Not in the best of moods, the bluenette pushed the “Audio Only” button before answering, since in her current state she couldn’t care less who it could be.

“Whoever you are, we’re so sorry, but the gym is, like, closed for today. If you want to challenge, please come another day, thank you.”

“I’m not a challenger.” It was a female voice, which Violet found strangely familiar. “I just came to say hello to Misty, can I come in?”

“Oh, so you’re her friend? Wait a little bit.” Violet then called out for Misty. “Hey, runt, the visit’s for you!”

“Have them come in, tell them I’ll be there in a sec!” Misty answered back.

Violet went towards the door to open to whomever was the visitor. She was in for a big surprise upon finding a girl with honey-colored hair and blue eyes. She was now dressed differently as how she remembered her, with a more modest outfit: a light pink dress, with a blue ribbon on the collar, a long, red vest with large pockets, thigh-high black stockings and brown boots. Yet Violet could tell it was her, and she wasn’t very happy to see her.

“You? What are you doing here? Haven’t you, like, tormented me enough?” she said upon recognizing her.

“I’m sorry?”

“Didn’t you have enough with beating me?” Violet asked again. “Come to rub your victory in my face?”

“Violet, what’s wrong?” Misty quickly came over. “Is that the way to welcome our visitors?”

“Why do you say that? Why else would she come here?” the bluenette protested.

“Maybe because she and I are friends?” Misty said, getting in between her sister and the visitor, as if trying to protect her. “Hey, Serena, it’s good to see you. Please forgive my sister’s manners, she’s still sore for losing the title of Kanto Queen.”

“It’s not a problem.” The Performer felt very relieved upon seeing her friend coming to her defense.

“Wait a sec, since when are you two, like, such good friends?” Violet asked.

“Since she first defeated you, actually.” Misty got close to give Serena a big hug. “Congratulations on becoming Kanto Queen. Saw your last performance on PokéVision, it was amazing.”

“Thank you.” Serena said. After letting go of the hug, she pulled out from her pochette a small basket. “Hey, I brought some muffins for you and your sisters, and puffs for your Pokémon.”

“Ha, you think you can, like, win us over with some muffins?” Violet snarked. “Oh, please, who do you think we are?”

“Violet, let go of the grudges.” Misty said. “Serena, why don’t you just go to the living room and wait for me there? I’ll get some tea for us to have with the muffins. Violet, you go with her, and for Arceus’ sake, please get a hold of yourself until I get there, alright?”

“Alright, little sis, whatever,” Violet replied, still reluctant to comply.

Serena followed Violet to the living room. The bluenette told her former rival to take a sit on one of the couches while they awaited for the youngest sister to come back. Still trying to defuse a bit the tensions, Serena coyly pulled out one of her muffins and tried to present it to Violet as a “peace offer”. The second sister was still a bit reluctant, but since they were no longer on that diet, she figured it would make no harm to try it. And to the relief of the Kalos’ girl, it had the desired effect, since Violet admitted it was delicious and congratulated her when she revealed she had baked it herself. Nevertheless, Violet made it clear that she had not forgiven her for beating her at the competition just yet, and Serena had no choice but to accept it. She wouldn’t let go that easily.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Misty arrived followed by the other two sisters, bringing along a tray with the tea set. Daisy and Lily sat down while Misty placed the cups on the table and started serving the tea, and Serena followed suit taking out more muffins to offer them. However, just as they were about to eat them, Serena saw something on the wall in front of her. More specifically, there was mural full of many photographs. Misty quickly took notice that she was staring at something, still having her muffin in hand without having even bitten it.

“Something wrong, Serena?”

“Those photos… do you mind if I see them for a bit?” the performer asked somewhat unsure.

“Sure… why not?”

Misty was a little puzzled at the sudden request, but she figured it would make no harm at all. Serena, meanwhile, knew that she had to get close to be sure. Upon taking a good look up close to the mural, she could see that all of the photos showed a much younger Misty, maybe around 12 or 13 at most, her hair tied on a side ponytail. Yet what surprised her the most, was that in most of the photos (almost all of them, actually) there was also a young boy. A tad shorter than Misty in the photos where they both were standing up, with jet-black messy hair and a red and white baseball cap, however the most outstanding features would definitely be the zigzag marks on his cheeks, his bright brown eyes and the Pikachu over his shoulder. Could it be possible? Was it him?

“Misty… this boy in the photos with you…”

“Ash? What’s wrong with him?” Misty asked, still having no clue to what happened.

“Ash? Is his family name… Ketchum, perchance? And he comes from Pallet Town?” That wasn’t much of a question, Serena already knew the answer.

“Yeah, how do you know?” Misty asked. “You know him?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Serena all of a sudden had a bad feeling. “Actually… Misty, remember what we talked about when we first met? Of a boy I liked?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with…?” Suddenly, the cogs in Misty’s brain started spinning, and it didn’t take her long to connect the ideas. “Wait… are you trying to say…? No, don’t tell me that him… you and… Ash…”

Just as before, Serena’s silence was all the answer Misty needed. She couldn’t believe it. And suddenly, everything fell into place. The boy Serena spoke of, he was someone who fought for his dreams and never gave up, someone who inspired her to follow his example. Just like Ash inspired Misty during that time they traveled together, even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. Serena had also described him as a helpless glutton. And Misty remembered that, if there was one thing that outranked Pokémon training and battles on Ash’s list, that would be the food.

In the meantime, the trio of the eldest Sensational Sisters quickly exchanged glances. It was secret to none of them how much pride Misty took on being considered “Ash Ketchum’s best friend” and how much deep down she wished to be something more than that (no matter how much she denied it in public). They also knew how sensitive her sister was when it came to Ash, or more specifically, to him getting any potential attention from another female. Without uttering a single word, the three knew clearly that the message here was “sparks will fly and heads will roll, better scram while we still can”, and left the living room immediately, leaving Misty and Serena alone. The Performer-Coordinator all of a sudden felt like an artic wind filled the air, and suddenly had the feeling that she shouldn’t be all alone with the Gym Leader.

“I had no idea… that you knew Ash too,” Serena finally spoke.

“Yeah, I know him well,” the redhead said. “The world’s smaller than I thought. So then, that boy you’re in love with, it was Ash?”

“Yeah, it’s him,” Serena replied. “So you traveled with him too.”

“I met him when I was just getting started as a trainer. He too was a rookie back then. Fond memories.”

“I see,” Serena whispered. Upon seeing the photos again, the Performer suddenly felt the urge to ask that question, despite being unsure on whether she wanted to know the answer or not. “Misty, you and Ash… are you two… close?”

“When you say close, do you mean… ‘close’?” Misty emphasized the last word making the gesture with her fingers so Serena would get the message. The Kalos girl nodded in confirmation.

“I’m sorry, it’s not like I mean to pry, but I need to know if…” Serena blushed intensely, unable to pronounce the word. However, Misty didn’t need her to do so, she knew exactly what Serena meant.

“*Sigh*, look, I think there are two answers to that question,” Misty said. “First, I’ll tell you this much, yes, Ash and I, we’re close. Close friends, that is.”

Serena didn’t show it in the outside, but a part of her in the inside felt a huge relief upon hearing that. That meant Misty and Ash weren’t dating. However, the second answer was yet to come, and she had a hunch on what it would be.

“And second, so everything is made clear… well, without my sisters around I think I can say it directly.” The redhead still lowered her voice. “Yes, indeed… I too love Ash.”

It was done. She finally admitted it out loud. And it was quite ironic that she had done so in front of another girl who shared the same romantic interest in Ash Ketchum. How come it had been so easy?

“Look… how about we first eat the muffins, drink the tea, and then we can talk about this calmly?” Misty proposed. “And just in case… I’d like to make sure my sisters aren’t here to eavesdrop on us when we do. I think this is a very personal matter.”

“That sounds good.” Serena agreed. She too wouldn’t like to be spied on while she talked of such a delicate matter. They both sat again, ready do chow down the muffins, so they could start talking about it.

“Mmm, these are amazing,” Misty said after taking a bite of a chocolate muffin with strawberry cream. “Someday you’ll have to teach me how to bake them.”

“Gladly. Could I have a little more of tea, please?”

“Sure.” Misty grabbed the teapot and poured a little more in Serena’s cup, before taking another bite.

First they would finish the muffins, and afterwards, they could take their time to talk. Not before, of course, Misty spoke with her sisters to stay out of the Gym for a while, just to be sure that they wouldn’t interrupt them. They had decided this to be a private conversation, and they’d make sure it would be.

----------------------------------------

A while later…

Having enjoyed the tea and muffins, Misty went and talked seriously to her sisters, telling them that she needed to talk about a private matter with Serena, and she would need a couple of hours to do so. That was a polite way to say that she wanted the three of them out of the Gym for a couple hours and that none of them could so much as to think of eavesdropping. Normally, the three older sisters would pay little-to-no attention when Misty tried to order them around, but they knew better that, when it came to Ash, incurring in their younger sister’s wrath was basically a tantamount to suicide. Thus, none of them put up any objections and they left the Gym’s premises immediately. Misty overheard Violet and Lily whispering something about “who’s gonna wipe off the blood?” as they passed through the entrance door.

Admittedly, Misty couldn’t quite feel offended by that last comment their sisters made, whether they intended for her to hear it or not. Once upon a time, a few years ago, that… “idea” might have crossed her mind. But the years went by, she had grown, matured, and the girl who would have lunged without a second thought in a fit of jealousy, to rip apart tooth and nail any other female who would so much get close to that boy, “who was a boy and was her friend, but not her boyfriend”, had been left behind a long time ago. Of course, that didn’t prevent Serena from feeling a little at unease, perhaps because she sensed there was still a remnant of that clingy jealous girl in Misty.

At the very least, Serena hadn’t run off in fear, and once they had the Gym to themselves, once they had gone past the initial shock, they were ready to exchange their respective stories. The world was indeed a small place. Who would have guessed that they both knew, and also shared the same deep feelings for that same young man?

“Alright, shall I go first, or do you want to?” Misty asked, sitting in front of Serena.

“You can ask first, if you want,” Serena replied shyly.

“I think we should start from the beginning. How did you meet Ash?”

“That was when I was, more or less five or six years old, I think.” Serena started reminiscing. “My mom took me to Pallet Town for a training camp at Professor Oak’s lab. To be honest, I didn’t even want to go.”

“Wow, must have been hard,” Misty said. “But that’s beside the point, let’s get to the good part.”

“I was about to, please don’t rush me,” Serena replied. “Anyway, while we got deep into the forest, before I realized I separated from the group and got. A Poliwag came out of the bushels and startled me, so I tripped and I hurt my knee. At the moment, all I wanted to do was crying. And then… he appeared.”

Misty couldn’t help but smile at that. On the occasional visits she made to Pallet Town, Delia showed her the photos of Ash when he was younger, before they first met. He looked really adorable, and Serena had the chance to see him at the time with her own eyes. Truthfully, she was actually a little jealous of Serena for meeting him in person back then, she would have loved to do so herself. In any case, she paid attention to the young performer’s tale.

“It was so weird, he didn’t even know me, but without a second thought, he bandaged my knee with his handkerchief and helped me get out of the forest,” Serena continued. “I’ll never forget that moment, neither those words he told me, to never give up.”

“That definitely sounds like the Ash I know.” Misty smiled. “Who would have guessed? So even back then he had that knack for helping people he didn’t even know.”

“I know,” Serena said. “And years later, when I saw him on TV and I found out he was in Kalos, I couldn’t believe it. All I knew was that I had to see him, I never had the chance to properly thank him for his kindness. Heaven knows, I didn’t even tell him my name, so we could stay in contact. I felt so stupid.”

“So that’s how you ended up traveling with him,” Misty completed. “How was the experience?”

“*Sigh*, it was the best that could have happened to me,” Serena replied. “Truth to be told, during the first few months, I had no idea what I really wanted to do. I was content just by being with him, and that made me happy, but… over time I realized that had to change. He had a dream, a clear goal he wanted to achieve, always striving his best to get there. I understood that I had to find a dream for myself.”

“And that’s how you ended up getting into Pokémon Showcases?” Misty guessed. “Well, I’d say you’ve done well in that respect. Just look at yourself, first Kalos Queen, and now Kanto Queen.”

“All thanks to him, Ash was the one who inspired me,” Serena said, joyful. “Alright, I’ve told you my story, now you have to tell me yours.”

“I’ll just ask you please not to laugh,” Misty warned her. “Truthfully, my first encounter with Ash couldn’t be more different than yours. Believe it or now, I fished him out the river.”

“You… fished him? Are you kidding?” Serena couldn’t believe it.

“No, I’m serious, I literally fished him,” Misty confirmed, and her expression told Serena that it wasn’t a joke. “I was sitting by the bank of a river, seeing if I could catch some good Water Pokémon for myself, and then something hooked, but when I pulled it out of the water, much to my dismay (at the time) it was just a black-haired boy with a wounded Pikachu. Long story short, should suffice to say that they were running away from a flock of wild Spearow whom they made angry for some reason, and he was so desperate for escaping that he stole my bike.”

“Oh, my.” Serena covered her mouth, unsure as to what to think of that. Misty, however, wouldn’t let her get the wrong ideas.

“Please don’t take that the wrong way. At the time he was just beginning his Pokémon journey, and he was just trying to keep his partner safe. On the other hand… he could have been a little more careful not to leave my bike charred.” She rolled her eyes. It was strange to recall that moment with a mixture of anger and laugh. “I won’t deny, at the time I was really mad, but as time went by, I started enjoying his company, to the point I sometimes forgot to use that bike as an excuse to be with him.”

“What was Ash like at the start of his journey?” Serena asked with interest. By the time she met him again, he had already gained his experience as a trainer. Misty, on the other hand, had known him when he was a rookie.

“He was immature, clumsy and headstrong, and he never thought things through. No kidding, there were times he really drove me crazy.” Misty’s expression softened a little after saying this. “Still, even so… I think there was something in him that attracted me. I don’t know if it was his love for his Pokémon, that undying determination he had to achieve his goals, or the fact that, even if he didn’t often use his head, his heart was always in the right place.”

That was something they both could agree on. Even though they had known Ash at different stages of his life, there was something they couldn’t deny. If there was a single trait they both found attractive, that would be the fact of Ash being very empathetic and willing to help others as much as he could, never expecting anything in return, humans and Pokémon alike. Though a close second would be his courage and determination, which inspired both of them to do their best on their respective goals.

“That must have been fun,” Serena said.

“Yeah, I admit it was. Even the troubles we often ran into are good memories now,” Misty replied. “Maybe that’s why it was so hard to say goodbye to him.”

“Tell me about it,” Serena agreed.

None of them had it easy when they had to say goodbye to him, once their adventures were over. Misty remained silent before continuing, while Serena awaited what would come next.

“Serena, do you believe in destiny?” Misty asked.

“Destiny?” Serena didn’t understand what she meant.

“When we first separated, I told Ash it was a coincidence that I fished him and Pikachu that time,” Misty continued. “But Ash told me he didn’t think it was a coincidence. According to him, maybe we were already destined to meet each other and become friends.”

“It’s funny that you say that, I feel the same way.” Serena nodded in agreement. ”I also think it wasn’t a coincidence having met Ash that day at the camp.”

Some others would call it chance or coincidence, but to them both it wasn’t like that. Fate had set Ash on the paths of both girls for a reason, and none of them could imagine the course their lives would have taken had they never met that young man.

“Did you ever tell him your feelings?” Serena asked to break the uncomfortable silence.

“*Sigh*, I didn’t have the courage to do it,” Misty admitted, a little ashamed. “If there’s something I really hate of myself, it’s that I find it really, really hard to be sincere about my feelings. At least when it comes to Ash. I think my only solace is that, perhaps deep down he knows, and there’s no need to tell him.”

“I don’t think you should take it for granted,” Serena said. “If you can’t say it with words, there has to be another way to express it.”

“Like what? Should I stand in front of him and kiss him without a word?” Misty asked at random.

“Why not? After all, that’s what I…” Serena immediately covered her mouth, realizing that letting out that could have been a very, very grave mistake. But it was too late now, Misty squinted her eyes showing that she knew exactly what she had been about to say.

“Serena… what were you about to say just now?” she asked. Serena gulped down, unsure as to what to say and feeling clearly intimidated at the sudden icy glare on the eyes of the redhead. “Don’t tell me … did you kiss Ash?”

Serena felt an artic current going down her whole spine. That icy glare from Misty was really scary, and there was no point in lying. Placing her hands on a supplication gesture and shutting her eyes hard, she decided to say the truth and pray that she wouldn’t kill her on the spot.

“Not on the lips, I swear, it wasn’t on the lips! Please forgive me!” the poor girl cried out.

Serena remained motionless, almost expecting Misty to lunge at her throat, or to yell at her to scram off of her Gym. Yet none of those things happened, and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes to meet the redhead with an enigmatic expression.

“Rest easy, I’m not doing anything,” Misty assured when Serena looked at her again, although her voice tone wasn’t exactly very soothing. “Alright, you said it wasn’t on the lips, but then…”

“It was when we said goodbye at the Kalos Airport.” Serena went ahead. It was better to explain before she lost her voice. “After our journey was over, I decided to try my luck at Hoenn and the Pokémon Contests. But when I started going town the escalator… something in me made me realize that I couldn’t just say goodbye like that. I knew we wouldn’t see each other for a long time, and that I might not have another chance. So I ran up and…”

“And you kissed him?” Misty completed. Serena blushed upon reminiscing that moment, but she had to continue.

“As much as I’d love to, I wouldn’t steal a kiss on the lips from Ash, unless I was 100% sure that he would return my feelings,” she said firmly. “Though I must admit… I did get very close. Anyone who saw us from behind wouldn’t have noticed the difference. Anyway, at the time I didn’t care. I didn’t care if he didn’t see me the same way. All I wanted was to express my feelings, and how grateful I was for everything he did for me.”

“Wow, now that was quite a bold move you pulled off,” Misty said with an inquisitive look. “I’m jealous, I would have never done something like that.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“No, really,” Misty insisted. “You could be sincere with yourself and with him, even if it was at the end. I was never able to. You’ve earned my respect, Serena. Although, I’d be lying if I said I’m not glad you didn’t kiss him on the lips.”

“I swear, fighting that impulse was all but impossible,” Serena said. “But you know, I couldn’t do that, it wasn’t right. So then… can I be sure you won’t try to strangle me or something?”

“Once upon a time, I might have just done that,” Misty replied in a dry tone. “Let me be direct, even if a part of me is glad that you didn’t kiss him on the lips, just the fact that you actually kissed him isn’t very comforting to me.”

“I’m really sorry, but… can you blame me?” Serena asked firmly, making an effort to not let herself be intimidated.

“No, and that’s exactly the problem. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.” Misty finally relaxed her expression. “While we traveled together, maybe Ash and I were not on a relationship or anything, yet I never liked whenever another girl tried to get close to him, so I’d always do anything it took to drive them away. But you… well, with you it’s different.”

“Why do you say that?” Serena didn’t get it.

“Serena, I like you,” Misty said with full sincerity. “You’re a nice girl, and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. So there’s no way I can hold it against you if you fell in love with Ash for the same reasons I did. That being the case, it would be selfish of me not to let you have a chance.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Serena smiled. “I really like you as well, so I’d feel really sad if we became… well, you understand.”

“Look, let’s put things on perspective,” Misty said. “It’s clear we both are in love with the same guy. Which means, of course, that sooner or later, the two of us will eventually be rivals. Yet, that doesn’t mean that, outside of competing for Ash’s affection, we cannot remain friends afterwards, does it?”

“I guess so, but…”

“Let me ask you something else,” Misty interrupted. “Do you have any plans now you’ve won the Kanto Queen title?”

“Well, I was planning on taking a break, going somewhere and taking a small vacation,” the Performer replied. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s just perfect,” Misty said. “Now that you’re here, you can help me with something. You see, just today I got a notice from the Pokémon League. Turns out that I won a fully paid vacation for three people, to any destination of my choosing. My sisters will pester me to no end to take them along for the ride, but if you take one of the slots, my problems will be all solved.”

“Are you inviting me?” Serena replied. “That’s so nice of you, but you said there were three slots, there would still… wait, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Misty nodded to answer. The prize she had won was good for three people, she and other two friends. She was inviting Serena now, which left one free slot. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and know who else she had in mind for that slot. From the outside, others might get the wrong idea, but surprisingly, Serena didn’t disagree with it.

“Think of this as a fair competition between you and me,” Misty said. “If we invite Ash, we can spend some quality time with him, and have a lot of fun together, the three of us. And maybe, with any luck… maybe we can get him to choose one of us. What do you say?”

Serena took her time to ponder on it. On the surface it didn’t look like a bad idea, but did she really want to compete with Misty for Ash’s affection? Wasn’t there any risk of them losing their friendship once Ash made a choice? And also, what would Ash himself think about this? Of course, he wasn’t there at the time to have his say, and Serena had the feeling that Misty wouldn’t actually care much for that. Nevertheless, from the short time she had known Misty for, she was sure that she had no ill intentions, and it didn’t seem right to waste that generous offer she was making, especially since she did feel that she needed the vacations. Anyhow, if she was going to agree, there were some things to clear up first.

“A couple conditions first,” the young performer-coordinator finally stated after making her choice. “If this is going to be a fair competition, I think there are some lines none of us two should cross.”

“I’m listening,” Misty said.

“We both can get close to Ash, but none of us will try to kiss him,” Serena said. “Any other contact, hugging, holding hands, that’s fine. Is that okay?”

“Alright, fair enough.” Misty replied. “No kissing with Ash, but everything else is fair game. Any other thing?”

“If one of us wants to spend some time alone with Ash, the other will respect it,” Serena continued. “No spying, no sabotaging, nor anything else like that. And we both have to promise not to make any moves on him without the other knowing, do you agree?”

“Sure, we need to have a degree of trust,” Misty answered. “Alright, but we’re not going to abuse that time either. If it’s just some time, it’s for a while, no taking him for a whole day or something like that.”

“Understood.” Serena nodded. “Now, is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“Come to think of it, yes, there is.” Misty said. “If for any reason we run into another person who has romantic intentions with Ash… we’ll work together to drive them away.”

“Why is that?” Serena became confused again. Misty was willing to give her a chance with Ash, but she wouldn’t do the same for anyone else?

“Think of it this way,” Misty began to explain. “If I can’t be the one who ends up with Ash, at least I want to make sure he’ll be in the hands of someone I’d know can make him happy. Someone I can trust.”

Misty held Serena’s hands firmly. The message was clear, and Serena didn’t take long to understand what Misty was trying to say. Of course, they both knew Ash better than anyone else, and given his nature, that risk of him falling in the clutches of the wrong person was quite high. It might sound a little selfish coming from them, but with Ash being Ash, it would be for the best, and they both knew it. Serena was not aggressive or confrontational in that sense, so having Misty as an ally would work to her advantage. The Gym Leader had a better initiative to “scare off” any other potential rivals, so it would be best for both of them to be on the same side.

“We can’t leave Ash in the hands of just any woman, can we?” Misty asked.

“No, of course not,” Serena admitted. “In that case, you have my full wholehearted support.”

“Great to hear that.” Misty smiled. “And now, the most important. When Ash does make his choice, whatever it is, the one who has to resign herself to be just a friend to him, will support the other and accept the love between them. And we both will always be there for him, no matter what.”

“Of course,” Serena agreed. “What matters the most is that he’s happy. Regardless of whoever of us he ends up with.”

“Shall we seal the pact then?” Misty raised her pinky finger, and without hesitation Serena nodded and raised her own. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Serena interlaced their fingers. The pact between them had just been sealed.

Now, there was just one more thing to do. They had to call Ash to give her the invitation. Anything else, it would be left in the hands of fate.

----------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at Pallet Town…

The sun was setting behind the mountains surrounding Pallet Town. Although calling it “Town” was starting to become debatable, since in the past two years, it had begun to expand. More and more people moved in, architects of great renown were starting to offer projects to build business and new residential areas, and according to the estimations of some experts, in a couple of years it could easily be considered as small metropolis. The reason for this, the Battle Coliseum that had been installed two years before increased the interest of people, especially Pokémon Trainers. At the time, its leader and owner, a 24-year old young man, tall, with black messy hair, and a Pikachu over his shoulder, was coming back home after a very long day at work.

“*Phew*, what a day.” Ash Ketchum entered his home, his partner Pikachu hopped off his shoulder onto the floor. “Mom, I’m home!”

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, wait at your room!” He heard Delia’s voice from the kitchen.

The smell of his mother’s food made his appetite grow even more. Ash walked upstairs followed by Pikachu towards his room, to wait until his mom called him for dinner. Once in there, he took off his shoes and dropped himself on the bed with his arms wide open. Pikachu followed suit, curling up on one of the bed’s corners, also needing a well-earned break after a hard day at work.

His job had become full time, but it was well worth it. So many years of traveling from region to region made him appreciate his time at home, so as to stay close and not to neglect his own training, he finally accepted the offer Scott gave him (surprisingly, he kept it open for all those years) to become a Frontier Brain. And thus, they began the building of the Pallet Town Battle Coliseum. However, unlike the other facilities of the Battle Frontier, this one doubled also as an official Pokémon Gym for the casual trainers who wanted to challenge the Indigo League. This had generated a more than considerable source of income for Ash and his mother, to the point they could make expansions to their home and Delia’s restaurant just within the first year of working.

Normally, the everyday job was to accept challenges from trainers for a Gym badge, and just sporadically, he would face a challenger for the Determination Symbol in the Battle Frontier. These fights were the only ones where he would bring out his finest Pokémon and show his full battle abilities, and they were broadcast on local TV. The battle he had today had been the greatest he had had in a very long time. Not too long ago, Professor Oak had received a package of Mega Stones sent by Professor Sycamore from Kalos for his research, and had even offered Ash a few of those. Some of his Pokémon, such as Charizard, Sceptile or Glalie, surely would gladly accept them. Especially considering that, since Greninja had rejoined his ranks a couple months before, they felt they were falling behind, and with good reason.

Anyhow, aside from that, Ash thought it was about time to take a break. There was no doubt, running the Coliseum was an excellent job, it kept him and his Pokémon in tip-top shape, and the monetary income was nothing to snub at, although after some time, he started missing out the days where he traveled across the land with his friends. It wasn’t like he wanted to go on another extended journey to challenge a league, but maybe just taking a few weeks off to relax. And while he was lost in thought, suddenly the “RING, RING, RING! CALLING IN, CALLING IN!” of the videophone went off.

“Ash, can you take the call?” Delia called out from the kitchen. “I can’t take my eyes off of this!”

“I’m coming!” The boy got off of his bed with a leap.

Ash went down the stairs sliding on the handrail, and quickly got to the living room. The videophone screen showed “Incoming call: Cerulean Gym.” Ash couldn’t help but smile, he had been so busy, he barely had any time to talk to his friends.

“Ketchum residence, Ash speaking,” he said as he switched on the projector.

“Hi, Ash, long time no see.” A girl appeared on screen with an ample smile. But it wasn’t exactly the one Ash expected with the incoming call ID. Instead of having red-orange hair, she had it honey-blond and her eyes were blue instead of aqua green. Of course, he quickly recognized her.

“Serena? Hey, how’s it going?” he said once he managed to get over the momentary surprise. “How come you’re calling from the Cerulean Gym?”

“Misty said that I could. No fair, you never gave me your house’s number so we could still keep in touch,” she said with a little pout.

“Sorry, I didn’t…” Ash scratched the back of his head. She had a point there, Misty was one of the few who had his house number, most of his other friends had to call him at the Coliseum to contact him, and sometimes he wasn’t there. He made a note to fix that later. “You still haven’t answered my question, what are you doing over there?”

“She stopped by to say hi, anything wrong with that?” a second female voice answered, which Ash quickly recognized as Misty’s, and a second later she sat next to Serena and appeared on screen. “How’s it been, Ash? Too busy at the Battle Coliseum?”

“Just a little,” Ash replied. ”Today I had to hand over my first Determination Symbol since I first opened it, I need to up my game.”

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Misty commented. “Anyway, we wanted to ask you, do you have plans for this summer?”

“Plans?”

“Come on, surely you don’t want to spend all of your time in that Coliseum,” Misty continued. “You need to go out and relax for a bit.”

“Well, funny that you mention that,” Ash replied. “Just now, I was actually thinking of taking a small vacation.”

“Oh yeah? Then that’s just perfect, don’t you agree, Serena?” The redhead smiled, much to Ash’s puzzlement. The Kalos Performer simply nodded in agreement, smiling as well. “Listen, Ash, we have a little favor to ask of you.”

“Sure…?”

“As it turns out, I recently won a prize for a paid vacation for me and two friends to any destination of my choice, with all expenses covered, but my sisters want to tag along, and there’s no way I’m doing that,” she said with a little irritation. “If I don’t get someone to fill the third slot, they’re gonna get even more annoying than they already are.”

“I already accepted,” Serena intervened. “If you come along, it could be the three of us, what do you think?”

Ash had to stop to think about it. Misty and Serena inviting him for a vacation, just the three of them? That on the outside didn’t sound bad at all, however, for some time the boy had been aware that the two of them wanted something else with him. He was happy to have them as friends, but they both had left out the subtleness with their romantic intentions. And the fact the years had been kind to both of them, turning them into a pair of really beautiful young women didn’t help matters. Why did he have the feeling there was something else to it?

“Are you sure?” Ash asked. “There’s nothing funny behind this, is it?”

“Please, Ash, what are you thinking?” Misty said with her best poker face. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have some fun with friends, is there, Serena?”

“No, there’s not.” Serena agreed.

“Plus, most of our other friends in common are too busy to come along,” Misty added. This part, strange as it sounded, was actually true, since she had called some of their friends in common so as to make sure they’d all be busy, in case Ash thought of leaving his slot to someone else. “And seriously, I don’t want my sisters to tag along. I deserve to go out and relax every now and then, right?”

“I guess so.” Ash couldn’t refute that, especially recalling how sad she was when they had to separate the first time. “Alright, you win. Just tell me where and when we’ll meet.”

“If I send my response today, the ship will depart from the Vermillion Port in a couple weeks.” Misty replied. “Fortunately I have your personal info, and Serena already gave me hers, I just need to choose a destination. Unless you have a place in mind?”

“No, if it’s your prize, I think it’s fair that you choose where we go.”

“Alright,” Misty said. “We’ll be meeting at Vermillion City in about two weeks. If you know the way, should be more than enough time for you to get there.”

“What was that supposed to mean?” Ash furrowed his brow at that.

“You already know that,” Misty replied, winking a hit in a mocking and flirtatious manner. “Come on, Ash, admit that if it wasn’t for us, you would have ended up in the middle of nowhere many times.”

“I have to agree with her,” Serena added. “No offense, Ash, but Misty is right, your sense of direction has always left a lot to be desired.”

“Don’t be so mean, I’m not that bad.” Ash pouted, feeling extremely offended. “Look, I’m gonna need a couple days to close the Coliseum and pack my things.”

“Take the time you need, but remember, two weeks. You’re already committed to us two.” Misty clearly said the last part with the full intention of making it a double entendre to annoy him. Of course, Ash being Ash, he didn’t catch the indirect. “We won’t forgive you if you fail to show up.”

“Hey, was there ever any time I’ve failed to keep a promise?” Ash retorted. The two girls exchanged glances of complicity, but obviously they couldn’t answer, since that wasn’t a question, it was a fact.

“We’ll see you then, take care, Ash,” Serena said.

“See ya!” Misty added, waving goodbye before hanging up.

The communication cut, Ash stopped to think for a while. Taking a vacation with two of his best female friends? The idea in and on itself didn’t sound bad at all, yet he couldn’t shake off the feeling that those two were up to something. And the most surprising of all, was the fact that without him knowing, all of a sudden they had become friends with each other. When did that happen? He had many questions to ask when he met them.

“Ash, dinner’s ready!” Delia’s voice called out. And in that very instant, Ash stomach growled too, begging to be filled with food.

If there was something that hadn’t changed over the years for Ash Ketchum, it was that he could never think clearly with an empty stomach, and since it was dinnertime, he figured he’d have time to meditate on today after he had eaten until he was full. Pikachu was still at the bedroom, so he would first go get him to join for the dinner. As he walked upstairs he saw Mimey and Delia preparing the table. During the meal he’d have plenty of time to tell them of his plans.

He had no idea that some very interesting and unforgettable vacations awaited him.

FIN