Chapter 44

For the last several days, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu have been relaxing on the ferry to Cremini Town. Serena, however, has been working nonstop with her Pokemon ever since her double battle with Timothy. While everyone is either in the ship's swimming pool or playing with their Pokemon, Serena and her Pokemon have been practicing in a part of the ship far from everyone else. The most the group sees of her and her party is when she's joining them for meals or going to sleep in the room she shares with Dawn and Holly.

It is early morning, and Ash and Serena are running laps around the ship with Pikachu, Oshawott, Servine, Gabite, Primeape, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol after having breakfast. Serena is wearing sweatpants and a pink shirt and is leading the group, blowing a whistle as she runs. Pikachu is running next to Ash while the other Pokemon run behind with Primeape in the back, practicing punches. Gigalith stands at the front of the ship, setting itself as the starting point because of it's new, heavy body.

After over half an hour of running around the ship, Serena, Ash, and their Pokemon run by Gigalith one final time before Serena turns to the group and says, "And stop." All of the Pokemon plummet to the ground in relief except for Gabite and Primeape, who remain standing, ready to do more. Ash and Serena take out their water bottles from their backpacks lying next to Gigalith and drink a few gulps of water. When she finishes, Serena wipes her mouth and turns to her Pokemon.

"Awesome job, everyone," she says. "Now that we're all warmed up, that contest ribbon is as good as ours."

All five of her Pokemon cheer happily while Ash also speaks to his Pokemon.

"You guys did great, too," he says before turning to Gabite and Primeape. "You guys especially look pretty pumped today, aren't you?"

"Gabite," Gabite replies with a cheerful grin.

"Prime!" Primeape shrieks while doing air punches.

"So, you're still practicing for a rematch against Odyssey, right, Primeape?" Ash says.

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts again, stomping on its feet.

The raven-haired boy grins at his Pokemon and pats it on the back.

"I don't blame you," he says calmly. "Odyssey is a very strong opponent, and it's clear you have a rival that you want to prove you are superior against just like me with Timothy. Don't worry, though; you'll beat Odyssey at the Indigo League. And Pikachu, we're gonna work hard so that you beat Electchu too."

"Pika!" Pikachu says with a determined grin.

Ash smiles at his dear friends, and Serena smiles at him fondly. It always warms her heart to see him so positive with his Pokemon. Suddenly, the ship's whistle is heard loudly, and Ash, Serena, and their Pokemon hear someone speaking through the speakers.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking," The captain says. "We are about ten minutes away from reaching Cremini Town. Please be sure to bring all of your belongings when the ship has come to a complete stop. Thank you for sailing with us."

Ash and Serena smile and run over to the railing at the front of the ship. Sure enough, they can see land in the distance, and at the center of it lies the several buildings and houses.

"Alright, Cremini Town!" Serena says excitedly. "Time for me to get my last ribbon. Whether I have to double battle at the battle stage or not, I'm winning that ribbon."

"I know you are, Serena," Ash says with a warm smile. "And I'm going to cheer for you with everything I've got. We all will. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says with a nod.

Serena smiles at Ash sweetly for a moment before her determined grin returns.

"So, what are we waiting for? We better get back to our rooms and get ready," she says.

"Right," Ash agrees.

Thus, the two teenagers return all of their Pokemon save for Pikachu back into their Pokeballs and go back to their rooms inside the ship. By the time they arrive, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are already ready and waiting on them. So, Serena quickly changes into her normal clothes and puts the rest of her stuff back in her backpack just in time for the ship to begin landing at the docks. As Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu exit the ferry and enter the town, the honey-blonde girl takes out her tablet and smiles.

"Just as I hoped," she says. "We arrived shortly before the contest started."

"That's great," Brock says with a smile.

"So, what Pokemon are you going to perform with during the appeal round?" Dawn asks. "Did you come up with a routine with Pancham after it learned Shadow Claw?"

Serena smiles and says, "I thought about it, but I have some better ideas in mind for Pancham for the battle stage instead. So I'm going to use Poliwag for the appeal round. There's a new routine we've been practicing together over the last few days that I want to try out."

"What? Really? What is it?" Dawn says curiously.

But Serena smiles and winks at the blunette girl.

"You're just gonna have to wait and see," she says in a singing voice.

Dawn pouts childishly and says, "Aw, come on, Serena. You've been practicing in secret for days. Can't I at least get a hint?"

"Of course, not," Serena says with a giggle. "Even a hint would probably spoil the surprise. I want all of you to be amazed by what my Pokemon and I have come up with, and that especially goes for you as my rival, Dawn."

Dawn realizes what Serena is getting at and smirks in approval.

"Alright, your point is made," she says. "Guess we're all just gonna have to wait."

"Everyone except me, Coovers, and Electchu," Timothy says.

Serena, Dawn, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, Brock, and Holly turn to Timothy, surprised.

"What are you talking about?" Ash asks. "Don't tell us that you guys are planning on leaving for your next Frontier battle right now."

"I'm afraid so," Timothy answers.

"But you guys can't leave now," Holly says. "You should be here for Serena, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, and we wanna be there for you too when you battle the Frontier Brain," Ash says.

"No, I'm afraid Timothy is right," Coovers says calmly. "We have some things we need to do as soon as Timothy wins his match."

"What things?" Dawn demands.

"Can't tell you, Dawn," Coovers quickly answers. "It's private business."

The youngest members of the group stare at the two men and the Raichu devastated at this news, but no one is as visibly disappointed as Serena.

"But we all want you to be there for me," she protests. "I want to show you how I've improved if I have to double battle, Timothy."

Timothy frowns and gives the honey blonde girl an apologetic look.

"I know you do. And if it weren't for this matter, we would gladly join you all," he says honestly. "But what we need to do is something of great importance, and we can't delay any longer when we're so close to getting our affairs underway. I'm truly sorry, Serena, but we have to leave."

Serena looks at him sadly and hangs her head while the others look at Timothy and his companions disapprovingly. In her mind, Serena wants to rebuke the man, thinking that what he wants to do is about nothing but accomplishing his own personal goals, but she doesn't think it will do any good. Timothy's frown deepens, knowing that he has disappointed the teenage girl and wants to say words of comfort, but he knows nothing he says will help.

Suddenly, Coovers and Timothy both feel a hand on each other's shoulders, and they turn around, startled to see Scott with a friendly grin.

"Well, if it isn't great to see everyone here," he says before turning to Holly. "And it looks like you have a new member in your group. What is your name, young lady?"

Holly hesitates, taken aback that this person just jumped into the moment before she answers, "Uh...my name is Holly."

"Holly. Nice to meet you," Scott greets, shaking Holly's hand before turning to Timothy. "I hope you knew you would be seeing me before your next battle by now."

"I counted on it," Timothy answers. "Just didn't think we'd see you until we made it closer to Tohjo Falls since the next Frontier Brain is there."

"Ah, does that mean you are on your way there right now?" Scott asks.

"Yes, we are," Coovers answers.

"Then it's great that I found you guys," Scott says with a smirk. "You see, the Frontier Brain for the Battle Tower is here in Cremini Town."

"Is that so?" Timothy says.

"Yes," Scott says. "She's here to see the Pokemon contest, which is starting very soon, so she won't be at the tower."

"Anabel is here?" Brock says.

"Awesome," Ash says excitedly. "I bet she'll be happy to see us. Plus, that means you can stay to watch Serena, Timothy."

Timothy and Coovers fight the urge to be disappointed that they are once again being kept from continuing their mission. They then look at each other and gave small smiles, silently deciding to be glad for their friends.

"Excellent," Timothy says before turning to Serena. "Looks like I get to see you perform, after all, Serena. I can't wait to see how you've improved while you get your last ribbon."

Serena looks at Timothy suspiciously, unsure of whether nor he is being genuine, but she decides to drop it and smile back.

"Right," she says. "You won't be disappointed. I promise."

"That's the spirit, Serena," Ash says encouragingly.

"Well, then it sounds like we've settled everything here," Scott says. "Anabel is going to meet me at the contest hall a little before the contest starts. Why don't we all meet her there while Serena competes?"

"Sounds good to me," Ash says.

Thus, everyone starts heading to the Pokemon contest hall, with the majority of the group uplifted that they can all watch Serena together. As they walk, Scott catches up with what's going on with Ash, Serena, Brock, and Dawn. The fat man is pleased to hear that Brock found someone special and that the young adult couple are so excited to get together after the Indigo League. Meanwhile, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu follow behind everyone and the man from Unova lets out a sigh before turning to Timothy.

"Just our luck," he says. "And on the last brain before Brandon, too."

"Yeah, it's pretty fickle timing," Timothy agrees. "Hopefully, this Anabel will agree to a battle after the contest so that we'll only be waiting for a couple of hours or so."

"No kidding," Coovers says. "Plus, we can hopefully see our young friend win her last ribbon while at it."

Timothy nods in agreement.

"As much as I want us to continue our mission as soon as possible, I'm glad that we can cheer Serena on again," he says. "I did not enjoy seeing her looking at me like that."

Coovers looks at Timothy and gives him a small smile.

"You did teach her how to be better at double battles with Ash and Dawn. It only makes sense that she would want all of her friends to watch her progression," he says. "Besides, now that I think about it, our mission is for the sake of those who have big goals like Serena, Ash, Dawn, Brock, Holly, and all of their Pokemon. Maybe we should take a delay like this to be with those whose hopes and dreams we want to keep alive."

Timothy thinks about what Coovers is saying without looking at him. He then looks down at Electchu who is giving him a friendly smile while walking beside him. He smiles back at his faithful partner before turning to Coovers.

"You're right, Coovers," he says. "I do want to see how Serena has improved. I also wouldn't mind having her, Ash, and the others cheer for me, Electchu and the rest of my team at the Battle Tower. We should enjoy having them around before we have to race to Brandon and the Gieldenstone."

Coovers' smile grows, happy to hear Timothy say that. He places his hand on Timothy's shoulder, and the man in the "H.A.K." shirt nods at his long-time friend before the two of them and Electchu face forward again as the group continues heading to the contest hall.

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After an hour and a half of walking, everyone makes it to the contest hall where Serena signs up for the contest and leaves to join the other contestants. Everyone else in the group goes to the auditorium where they find seats near the front row and quietly talk to each other while waiting until a certain girl with light purple hair walks over to them.

"Well, well, well, what a pleasant surprise," she says, smiling. "Ash, Pikachu, Brock, great to see all of you again."

Ash stands up from his seat to face the girl with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Anabel. It's great to see you too," he says.

The two of them shake hands with a friendly chuckle before Anabel turns to Dawn, Piplup, Holly, Coovers, Electchu, and Timothy.

"And who might you all be?" She asks.

"I'm Holly, Brock's future girlfriend," Holly says, earning another goofy look from Brock.

"I'm Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn greets.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps

"Coovers is my name," Coovers says politely.

"I'm Timothy, and this is my partner, Electchu," Timothy says politely.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

Anabel turns to Timothy with an intrigued look.

"I assume you mean the same Timothy who defeated the Johto Elite Four and Lance, the bi-regional champion?" She asks.

"Indeed, I am," Timothy says. "I assume you know that because Scott advertised me to you?"

"He sure did," Anabel says with a nod. "I am looking forward to battling you, Timothy."

"That makes both of us, Anabel," Timothy says.

"Good," Anabel says. "I'm sure you've heard this many times, but I've never battled with someone who has defeated a regional champion before. I hope you will be a great challenge for me."

"Oh, he will, Anabel," Ash says. "I've battled him twice now, and I only took down one of his Pokemon the second time."

"Oh, really?" Anabel says with a raised eyebrow. "In that case, why don't we all go to the Battle Tower together after this? I know my Pokemon are just as eager to face your team as I am."

Timothy smiles and says, "That would be fantastic."

"Terrific," Anabel says before she turns and takes a seat next to Ash while Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other with looks of relief.

"Thank heaven she's as eager for your battle as we are," Coovers says.

"No kidding," Timothy says with a nod.

Coovers face turns serious, and he leans closer to Timothy.

"Don't forget, no showing off this time," he warns. "We have to leave as soon as you beat her."

"Don't worry, Coovers. I learned my lesson after my battle with Ash," Timothy says. "I'm not going to toy with this girl. If my Pokemon are against a Pokemon that they are weak against, I'll change to a different Pokemon. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I win the battle, Scott gives us the location to Brandon, and we start heading straight that way before the day is over. No more delays."

Coovers nods, satisfied with Timothy's response. Meanwhile, Anabel pets Pikachu while she and Ash sit next to each other.

"So Ash, what have you been doing since the last time we've seen each other?" The light-purple-haired girl asks.

"Tons of things," Ash answers. "After I won the Battle Frontier, I went to Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos and caught a lot of new Pokemon. I even made it to the finals at the Kalos League and almost won."

"Wow, that's amazing," Anabel says. "So, what are you up to now?"

"I'm getting ready to compete in the Indigo League again," Ash says proudly. "And right now, I'm about to cheer Serena on for her last contest ribbon."

Anabel looks at Ash, confused, and asks, "Who is Serena."

"Oh, you'll like her," Ash says. "Serena is amazing. We actually first met when we were little and then she found me when I was in Kalos. She is a really great supportive friend who works really hard on her dream. Not to mention she's a great cook. Right, buddy?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says happily.

Anabel chuckles at Ash's enthusiasm and says, "She sounds nice."

"You bet," Ash says without hesitation. "Truth be told, I owe a lot to Serena. I would never have been able to do some of the things I did in the Kalos region without her help. It was also her idea that I compete in the Indigo League again to show how much I've grown. I don't know what I would have done without her."

Anabel nods with her smile on her face, but as soon as Ash looks away to pet Pikachu, she frowns. The way the raven-haired boy talks about Serena gives Anabel a twinge of fear. Ever since the day Ash came to challenge her during his own journey through the Battle Frontier, the light-purple-haired girl developed a crush on him. She didn't say anything before he left because it was clear that the dense boy couldn't understand such feelings from the way he shook hands with her after the battle. And yet, even though it was clear that Ash still knows little of such feelings when the two of them shook hands just moments ago, the way he spoke of his friend unsettled Anabel.

Before she could think about it any longer, however, the auditorium lights turn off, and the audience begins cheering as Lilian enters the stage.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Cremini Town Pokemon contest!" She shouts through her microphone. "This is one of the last contests of the season, and I know many of these contestants are working hard to win the remaining ribbons they need to enter the Grand Festival!"

"Wow, sounds like Serena's going to be cutting it a little close if she wins today," Scott says as the audience applauds again.

"No kidding," Dawn agrees while Lilian introduces the judges. "Let's hope she wins because I don't want to know how far away the remaining contests are if she doesn't."

"Don't worry. Serena's going to win," Brock says calmly. "Right, Ash?"

"Absolutely," Ash says confidently. "Serena says that we're in for some surprises, so there's no doubt that she's going to surprise us all to victory."

Anabel secretly grows more uneasy at the way Ash praises his friend while Lilian speaks again.

"And now, to kick us off at the appeal stage, it's Russell!" She announces.

"Russell?" Ash, Brock, and Dawn say simultaneously.

"You know him?" Coovers asks.

"Not personally," Brock answers. "Basically, he was the guy who knocked Serena off the first round of the battle stage during the contest at Cerulean City. This was also during Serena's debut as a coordinator."

"Oh, I see," Timothy says.

Sure enough, the scrawny man appears with a proud smirk on his face. He tosses a Pokeball into the air, and a Magneton appears. With a snap of Russell's fingers, the three heads of Magneton separate from each other and form a circle at the center of the stage. They start spinning around the circle, creating an electrical current that connects to all three of them. The three heads of Magneton start to spin faster and faster until Russell snaps his fingers, and the three heads release the electricity, creating a large ball of electricity at the center of the circle. The audience and the judges look intrigued while Russell snaps his finger once last time. The three heads of Magneton join together right below the ball and create a white, electric, orb in front of it. The magnet Pokemon aims at the ball of electricity and fires the orb straight at it. The orb collides with the ball, and they explode into thousands of white and yellow sparks of electricity above the audience, making them watch with awe.

"Wow, what an amazing use of Thunderbolt and Zap Cannon!" Lilian says.

As the audience applauds, the judges give Russell a good score, and he smirks, satisfied before returning his Magneton and exiting the stage. The appeal stage continues with several other contestants performing with their partners. Some of them mess up their performances or did so little that they were given very low scores, but others entertain the crowd and gain roughly the same kind of score that Russell has. Ash, Brock, Anabel, Scott, and the others applaud for each one politely, waiting for Serena to perform.

"And now, trying once again to gain her fifth ribbon, I give you Serena!" Lilian announces.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu get up from their seats and loudly cheer while Anabel joins with a respectable applaud. Serena enters the stage and with a graceful twirl, tosses Poliwag's Pokeball into the air, and the tadpole Pokemon comes out and does a flip before landing on the ground. The trainer and her Pokemon give the audience a bow before Serena begins tapping her foot rhythmically.

"Okay, Poliwag, create a block of ice using Ice Beam," she says.

"Ice Beam?!" Ash, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Timothy, and Coovers say at the same time.

Poliwag gives Serena a happy smile before it hops high into the air and shoots a beam of ice at the ground. The move creates a giant, rectangular block of ice standing right next to Serena. Everyone wonders what the honey blonde girl is planning while she takes several steps away from the block of ice and turns to her Pokemon.

"Now, create a path next to the block and create a great big spring," she instructs.

Poliwag nods and fires Ice Beam again on the right side of the block and then starts creating a spiral path upward until there is a large spring made of ice that is only a few feet away from reaching the ceiling.

"Now get on top of the spring and start creating large bubbles," Serena commands.

Poliwag starts hopping on the path until it makes it to the top. Then it takes a deep breath and creates a bubble nearly twice its size, and the bubble starts rolling down the spring. Poliwag repeats the process several times, and large bubbles roll down the spring until they reach the bottom and hit the block of ice. One by one, the bubbles reach the bottom and combine into a bigger bubble. By the time Poliwag is done, there is a bubble three times Serena's height. The judges and the audience are intrigued by the creative process until Serena speaks again.

"Now destroy the spring with Water Gun and start bouncing on the bubble," she orders.

Poliwag jumps high in the air again and spins while using Water Gun with enough force to destroy the spiral before it lands on the bubble without it popping. Serena begins tapping her foot, and Poliwag starts jumping up and down on the bubble in rhythm, causing it to bounce on the bubble as if it's on a ball. The audience smiles brightly in amazement as Poliwag bounces the bubble around the block of ice, gleefully doing flips with each bounce.

"Okay, time for the big finale just like we practiced," Serena says.

Poliwag bounces on the bubble one more time, and it lands on top of the block of ice, surprising the judges and the audience that the bubble still didn't break. Then with one last flip, Poliwag uses Double Slap to fall through the bubble, causing it to finally burst and break through the block of ice, causing both the bubble and the block to explode into tiny blue and light-blue sparkling pieces.

"Ta-da! Finished!" Serena says while she and Poliwag make a final pose.

Almost immediately, the audience roars in applause. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers all stand up from their seats as they clap loudly for their friend.

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash shouts.

Anabel also applauds, impressed with the performance, but is taken aback by the way Ash cheers for Serena so energetically. Serena and Poliwag take a bow while the judges give them a score higher than everyone else who has gone. She sees her friends in the audience and smiles to see that all of them - including Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu enjoyed her performance. After the honey blonde girl and her Pokemon leave the stage, the group sits back down and turn to each other.

"I didn't know her Poliwag knew Ice Beam," Coovers says.

"Me neither," Holly says. "Did Poliwag learn that while they were practicing on the way here?"

"It makes sense to me," Brock says. "It would explain how her performance is meant to be a surprise."

"Did anyone else notice she took my idea of making a big bubble from my double battle with her and made it into her own thing?" Dawn asks.

Ash, Brock, and Holly turn to the blunette girl and think about it for a moment.

"You know, I think you're right," Brock says. "Is that an issue for you, Dawn?"

"Not really," Dawn says honestly with a smile. "After all, the way she did it using Bubble instead of Bubble Beam was visually creative, and she clearly knew how to use it in a way that works for her and Poliwag. I just hope she has more up her sleeve than just that."

"Don't you worry, Dawn," Ash says confidently. "I'm sure Serena is just getting started."

Once more, Anabel is uneasy with how proudly Ash compliments Serena.

"You seem to really care about Serena, Ash," she comments.

"Of course, I do. Why wouldn't I?" Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

Anabel hesitates before she decides to be direct.

"Do you think of her as more than just a friend," she asks.

Ash looks at her, confused, and says, "You too?"

"Oh," Anabel says. "So, I'm not the only one who has asked you that?"

"No, you're not," Ash answers with a frown. "People like Brock and my mom have been asking me about that lately, but I don't understand what they're saying. I wish I did, though."

Ash looks away sadly, and Anabel frowns as she watches him think about what she brought up. She opens her mouth to speak again when the last performance on stage ends, and everyone applauds before Lilian comes back on stage.

"Alright, now that all the contestants have performed, let's find out who will continue to the next stage!" She announces.

As soon as she finishes her sentence, several pictures appear on the big screen above the stage to reveal two dozen pictures of the contestants, including Russell and Serena. The group cheers, glad that their friend can move on before Lilian speaks again.

"And for a special treat for all of you, this next stage is going to be a double battle stage!" Lilian shouts.

While the rest of the audience cheer in excitement, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other.

"Looks like we helped Serena with her double battling skills just in time, Timothy," Ash says.

"Looks like it," Timothy agrees. "Let's hope it's enough for her to win the ribbon."

Thus, the group waits patiently for Serena's first battle in the round while the other contestants compete in the stage. One by one, they watch each of the battles, including Russell's first battle, where he defeats a girl's Vulpix and Executor with his Sunflora and Hypno. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Dawn have their eye on Russell's Hypno during the fight, knowing that it was the Pokemon who humiliated Pancham. Finally, Serena comes in at the last battle of the first round against a guy with long black hair and a thin mustache.

"Go, Serena!" Ash shouts.

"You got this, girl!" Dawn cheers.

"Let's go, Serena!" Brock and Holly shout together.

"Show us what you've learned!" Timothy shouts.

"We're counting on you!" Coovers yells.

Pikachu, Electchu, and Piplup cheer at the same time while Serena and her opponent take out their Pokeballs and throw them into the air. Braixen and Pancham appear in front of Serena while a Dunsparce and Umbreon appear in front of her opponent.

"The battle between Serena and Patrick will now begin!" Lilian announces as the timer starts.

"Dunsparce, use Mud Shot and Umbreon, use Sand Attack!" Patrick orders.

"Block both attacks with Flamethrower and Shadow Claw!" Serena shouts.

Dunsparce shoots mud from its mouth while Umbreon kicks sand toward their opponents. But Braixen and Pancham stay close as Braixen uses Flamethrower to turn the sand to ash, and Pancham destroys the mud with its claws of energy. The judges take away a little bit of Patrick's points.

"Alright, Serena! Keep it up!" Dawn cheers.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Timothy agrees. "Keep working together with your Pokemon!"

Patrick frown and shouts, "Umbreon, use Quick Attack on Pancham and Dunsparce, use Dragon Rush on Braixen!"

"I don't think so," Serena says with a confident smile. "Pancham, create a wall with Stone Edge!"

Pancham slams its fist into the ground, and light-blue pillars appear in front of it and Braixen, creating a barrier between them and their opponents. Dunsparce and Umbreon ram into the Stone Edge at the same time, but Umbreon's Quick Attack causes no damage to the pillars while Dunsparce breaks through the wall and heads straight toward Braixen with its body still covered in blue energy.

"Braixen, push Dunsparce back with Flamethrower!" Serena commands. "Pancham, use Arm Thrust to break through the wall and attack Umbreon!"

Braixen immediately takes out its stick and releases a powerful stream of fire. The Flamethrower hits the land snake Pokemon hard, disrupting its Dragon Rush attack and sending it flying back to the other side of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Pancham's arms glow white, and with one swing, it breaks the pillar between it and Umbreon, who is still dazed from ramming itself into the large stone. Pancham uses its other arm to hit Umbreon square in the face, and the Dark-type Pokemon screams in pain as it's sent crashing next to Dunsparce. Patrick stares at his injured Pokemon in shock while the judges take away more of his points.

"Wow, there she goes using Stone Edge as a barricade again," Ash says, amazed. "Great thinking on her part."

"Indeed," Timothy says. "I'm especially impressed with how quickly she responded when Dunsparce broke through."

"Yeah, clearly she took your lessons to heart," Dawn says happily.

Patrick finally shakes his head to snap out his moment of shock and in a look of desperation, turns to his Pokemon.

"Dunsparce, use Charge Beam on Pancham and Umbreon, you use Dark Pulse on Braixen!" He shouts.

But Serena just smiles and says, "Braixen, take out Charge Beam with Flamethrower and Pancham, destroy Umbreon's Dark Pulse with your own!"

Dunsparce builds electricity in its body and uses it to fire a powerful beam while Umbreon takes a beam of dark purple circles. But before their respective attacks cross to the other side of the field, Braixen and Pancham use their respective attacks to protect each other, causing all four attacks to collide and create a big explosion that covers most of the field in a cloud of smoke.

"I can't see anything," Patrick says as he and his Pokemon try to look through the smoke. "Where are they?"

But Serena overhears what he said and smirks, knowing she has the upper hand.

"Braixen, Pancham, run through the smoke and hit Umbreon with Arm Thrust and Dunsparce with Fire Blast!" She instructs.

The two Pokemon nod at their honey blonde trainer and runs through the smoke without hesitation. Patrick, Dunsparce, and Umbreon are still looking for their opponents desperately before Braixen and Pancham suddenly emerge from the smoke right in front of them. Before Patrick has a moment to say a command, Braixen hits Dunsparce with Fire Blast, and Pancham karate chops Umbreon with Arm Thrust. The two small Pokemon are sent back a couple yards before they land in front of their front limp with swirly eyes. The judges press their buzzards, and Lilian steps in.

"Dunsparce and Umbreon are down for the count!" She announces. "So, Serena is going to move on to the next round!"

The crowd cheers, and Serena and her Pokemon smile at each other, thrilled to have properly won a double battle. The three of them face the audience and gave a bow before Serena puts Braixen and Pancham back into their Pokeballs and exits the stage.

"Alright, Serena!" Dawn cheers while the group and Anabel applaud.

"I knew you could do it!" Ash cheers.

"That was definitely a major improvement from how she did at Cinnabar Island," Holly comments. "She looked like she and her Pokemon were working much better as a team."

"I agree," Brock says. "She was also showing more creativity in her moves."

"Don't forget that she was smiling the whole time, too," Ash says.

"She was smiling?" Anabel says, confused.

"Yeah, our friend Aria told her to face everything with a smile," Ash explains. "Serena wants to make everyone happy through her performances. She forgot about that during her last contest, so I'm glad that she's competing with a happy attitude again."

Anabel smiles at Ash, happy that he's happy for his friend, but her worry over his overall thoughts for Serena grows. As the second round of the battle stage begins, wonders if the honey blonde has any feelings for him.

***********************************************************************

As the contest goes on, Serena continues to win every battle she's in. Her friends and Anabel watch in amazement as she wows both the judges and the audience with the way she creates amazing spectacles while she defeats every opponent with Braixen and Pancham. Russell also breezes through his matches too, however, making Dawn and Brock unsure of what will happen if Serena faces him again. Ash, on the other hand, shows no hint of concern for the honey blonde girl, choosing to be completely optimistic for her without hesitation.

Eventually, the semifinals come, and Serena wins her match with Braixen and Pancham knocking out a girl's Diglett and Delibird. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu cheer happily, excited to see her hopefully win her final ribbon. But then Russell competes in his semifinal match, and his Sunflora and Hypno take down a boy's Gastly and Sparrow within less than two minutes.

Finally, after a five-minute intermission, Lilian steps onto the stage, holding the mic in front of her again.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for!" She begins. "On one side, Russell is eager to get his fourth ribbon, and on the other side, Serena wants to win her fifth ribbon! Who will win this exciting match?"

The audience cheers again before the host continues.

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Lilian shouts. "Let's find out who will win this year's Cremini Town contest ribbon!"

The audience cheers again as Russell enters the stage from the left side while Serena enters from the right. The scrawny man notices Serena and smirks at her mockingly.

"I had a feeling we might meet again," he says. "This will be too easy for me."

"I wouldn't underestimate my Pokemon and me," Serena counters. "We've grown a lot since Cerulean City, and we're going to win no matter what."

"Cocky, huh? I like that," Russell says before throwing his Pokeballs into the air. "Hypno, Sunflora, let's do this!"

"Braixen, Pancham, let's go!" Serena shouts while throwing her Pokeballs toward the battlefield.

The four Pokeballs open to reveal Hypno, Sunflora, Braixen, and Pancham ready for battle. Lilian smiles in anticipation before she faces the audience again and shouts, "Let the battle begin!" before the timer on the screen starts counting down.

"Alright, let's make this quick," Russell says. "Sunflora, use Petal Dance and Hypno, use Psybeam!"

Sunflora raises its arms, and pink leaves appear heading toward its opponents while Hypno fires a multicolored beam.

"Braixen, take out that Petal Dance with Flamethrower and Pancham, take out the Psybeam with Dark Pulse!" Serena orders.

Braixen and Pancham use their respective attacks, and they collide with the Petal Dance and Psybeam. The Dark Pulse and Psybeam create an explosion of sparkles in many colors while the Flamethrower burns through the petals instantly and heads straight toward Sunflora.

"Sunflora, dodge it!" Russell commands.

Sunflora stares at the upcoming fire attack fearfully and jumps away, but the Flamethrower barely burns its right side and the sun Pokemon panics hysterically, afraid it caught fire. Russell tries to calm it down while the judges take away some of his points.

"Alright, now use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse once more!" Serena commands.

Russell notices that Serena is trying to take advantage of Sunflora's frantic state and frowns.

"Hypno, use Disable on both of them!" He shouts.

Serena's smile falters at the sound of the command. Hypno fires several blue rings at Braixen and Pancham right before they can release their attacks. Both of their Pokemon look in shock, realizing that they can't do their attacks.

"Wow, a double Disable!" Lilian announces, impressed. "What will Serena do now?"

The judges take away some of Serena's points, and her heart starts to sink. Timothy frowns seriously and turns to the rest of the group.

"I was afraid of this," he says. "I told her not to always rely on Flamethrower and Dark Pulse."

"She has been relying on those attacks throughout most of the battle stage," Scott says.

"Oh, just look at her; she doesn't know what to do," Holly says worryingly.

"Come on, Serena! Don't give up now!" Dawn shouts.

Serena stays frozen for a couple of seconds before she takes a deep breath and calms down.

"It's going to be okay," she says to herself. "Just keep smiling, and don't let what happened get to you. Be creative."

On the other side of the field, Russell manages to finally calm down Sunflora. Then he turns to Serena with his face turning serious.

"Hypno, use Psybeam once more, and Sunflora, use Razor Leaf!" He commands.

Serena frowns and thinks of what to do next. She considers telling Braixen to use Fire Blast to burn through Sunflora's leaves again but decides to save using the attack for a better moment. She also thinks about blocking Psybeam with Stone Edge, but Hypno's attacks look like they will break through the pillars. As Sunflora throws razor-sharp leaves and Hypno fires another multicolored beam, Serena puts her hand on her precious blue ribbon and takes a chance.

"Braixen, cut down the Razor Leaf with Scratch and Pancham, deflect the Psybeam with Shadow Claw!" She shouts.

Braixen's paw glows white, and it cuts the leaves into pieces. Pancham's arm glows in a purple aura shaped like a large claw and tries to cut down Hypno's Psybeam, but the beam is too big to cut down, and it hits the fighting-type Pokemon hard and sends it plummeting into the ground. The judges decide to take a tiny amount if Russell's points and remove a larger portion of Serena's points.

"Pancham, are you alright?" Serena cries out worryingly.

Pancham is struggling to get up. Its body is covered in cuts and bruises. It grinds its teeth, trying to fight off the pain.

"Looks like a good a time as any to relive the last battle," Russell says with a smirk. "Hypno, lift Pancham into the air with Confusion."

Hypno's eyes glow blue, and Pancham's body is surrounded by a blue outline and is lifted into the ground. The playful Pokemon starts panicking and flailing its arms and legs as it's sent flying directly above Hypno. Serena's eyes widen, realizing what is happening all over again, and she turns to Braixen.

"Use Hidden Power on Hypno now!" She shouts.

Braixen doesn't hesitate to use Hidden Power to free its friend, but Russell just smirks.

"Sunflora, stand in front of Hypno and use Safeguard!" He orders.

Sunflora steps in front of Hypno and creates a force shield in front of both of them. Braixen's Hidden Power runs into the shield and explodes upon impact, causing no effect to either Pokemon.

"Good blocking strategy from Russell!" Lilian comments as the judges take away a few more points from Serena.

"What are you going to do now, Serena?" Russell mocks.

Serena frowns and mutters to herself. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. Just keep smiling. It's all going to work out. You just need to think of a way to get past the Safeguard. Now think."

The honey-blonde girl brainstorms while Braixen waits worryingly for a command. Suddenly, Serena snaps her fingers and turns to the fox Pokemon with a smile.

"Braixen, shoot Fire Blast at Pancham," she orders.

"What?" Coovers says, shocked. "Did I hear that right?"

"What is she thinking, telling Braixen to attack its own partner?" Holly asks.

"I have no idea," Anabel answers.

"Don't worry, everyone," Ash says confidently. "I can see it in her eyes. Serena is up to something."

Braixen turns to Serena looking just as shocked, and even Pancham couldn't believe what it just heard.

"Trust me, both of you," Serena says comfortingly withal warm smile. "It's going to be okay."

Braixen hesitates for a few more seconds before it takes a deep breath and decides to trust its partner. It takes out its stick and unleashes a Fire Blast at Pancham.

"Now, Pancham, use Shadow Claw!" Serena instructs. "Chop Braixen's attack to pieces!"

Eager to defend itself, Pancham quickly uses Shadow Claw with both paws and starts slicing the Fire Blast to pieces before the fire hits the panda-like Pokemon. The pieces of fire start falling from the air and land on top of an unsuspecting Sunflora who panics again, unknowingly making its Safeguard disappear.

"There's our opening, Braixen!" Serena says. "Use Fire Blast one more time!"

Braixen's ears perk up as it realizes what Serena's plan is all along and grins mischievously before it unleashes another Fire Blast. Russell only has a moment to realize what is happening before the fire attack hits Sunflora directly, and it falls down limp with swirly eyes before he can even tell it to dodge.

"Oh dear, that's one of Russell's Pokemon down for the count," Lilian says as the judges take away some of Russell's remaining points. "How will he manage to get out of this one?"

"Ah, I see," Brock says, amused. "Sunflora's Safeguard protects the front of it while all other sides, including above it, are wide open."

"So, Serena used Shadow Claw as a way of reaching the Fire Blast to Sunflora so that it could panic, thus letting its guard down," Dawn says in realization.

"Clever," Scott says with a smirk.

"Alright, Braixen, use Hidden Power again!" Serena shouts.

Russell freezes in place, knowing that Hypno can't do anything while it's still holding Pancham up in the air. Braixen jumps and twirls before it unleashes three white orbs of energy again, and they hit Hypno right on the chest. The hypnosis Pokemon grunts in pain and releases Pancham, who lands perfectly on the ground in front of its former captive.

"Now, Pancham, don't hold back!" Serena shouts. "Use Shadow Claw multiple times! Give it everything you have!"

Pancham grins mischievously, and it summons a dark-purple aura shaped into sharp claws again on both of its arms. Hypno opens its eyes just in time to see Pancham heading straight for it before the playful Pokemon strikes. It swipes and slashes left and right furiously at Hypno, giving the psychic-type Pokemon large scratches all over its body. Pancham lets out its desire for payback again and again until it slashes upward at Hypno's head, knocking it off its feet and plummeting to the ground unconscious. The judges press their buzzards, and Lilian turns to the audience with a cheerful smile.

"Sunflora and Hypno are down for the count!" She declares. "Serena is the winner!"

The big screen above the stage changes to a picture of Serena with the word "WINNER" above it in bold, golden letters. The audience roars in applause while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Scott, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stand up and cheer for their friend. Russell stares at his fallen Pokemon in devastation before he returns them to their Pokeballs and glumly walks away. Serena stares in surprise before Braixen and Pancham joyfully tackle her to the ground. She snaps out of her state of shock and happily hugs her Pokemon tightly, laughing as she holds them.

"We did it! We did it!" She shouts.

The applause continues for a minute until Mr. Contesta walks over to the middle of the stage and gestures for Serena to come over to him. The honey-blonde girl stands up and walks over to Mr. Contesta with Braixen and Pancham following her, and the man gives her a warm smile.

"Congratulations, Serena," he says, taking out a contest ribbon from his pocket. "You now have enough ribbons to partake in the Grand Festival. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you so much," Serena says as she takes the ribbon and shows it to the audience. "Alright! I finally have my fifth ribbon!"

"Pancham, cham!" Pancham cheers.

"Braixen!" Braixen shouts.

The audience applauds again, and Serena and her Pokemon take a bow before exiting the stage. Once she's gone, Lilian bids farewell to everyone before she and the judges leave the stage, and the audience begins to disperse.

"Yay! Now May, Serena, and I can all compete in the Grand Festival together!" Dawn cheers.

"Alright! I knew she could do it!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cheerfully.

Anabel smiles at Ash, hiding her concern over his feelings for Serena.

"I must admit that was fun," she says. "I'm glad Scott convinced me to come watch this year."

"So am I," Scott says. "And I'm glad Serena won her last ribbon."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Timothy says. "Let's meet up with her and congratulate her."

Everyone says words of agreement, and thus, they all leave together to meet up with the honey blonde girl.

**********************************************************************

It isn't long before Serena exits the building to find everyone waiting for her outside. Dawn happily runs over to her, and the two teenage girls happily scream in excitement.

"You did it!" Dawn squeals. "You have all five of your ribbons!"

"I know!" Serena says. "I can't wait to show it to my mom, Bonnie, and Clemont. They'll be so thrilled."

Timothy, Coovers, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, and Electchu walk over to Serena, and Timothy gives Serena a warm smile.

"Well done," he says sincerely. "You really improved with your double battling skills."

"Thank you, Timothy," Serena says.

"Timothy's right," Ash says, stepping in. "You were great, Serena. I can't wait to see you compete in the Grand Festival."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Serena's eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red before she looks down as if the floor is the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh, thank you, Ash," she says.

"Hey, what about me?" Dawn rebukes.

"Of course, you too, Dawn," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Dawn smirks, satisfied before nudging Serena with her elbow teasingly.

"Someone's showing favoritism," she quietly sings in Serena's ear, making her face turn redder.

The rest of the group catch up, and Brock and Holly step in to speak to Serena next.

"Good job, Serena," Brock says.

Serena snaps out of her bashful state and turns to Brock with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Brock," she says.

"I'm proud of you, Serena," Holly says with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Holly," Serena replies.

"So now we just need to head to Viridian City for my and Ash's gym battles and then it's on to the Indigo Plateau for the Grand Festival and eventually the Indigo League, right?" Holly asks.

"That's right," Ash says. "I can't wait to face Agatha again."

Anabel, who is standing behind the group with Scott, winces at Ash's eagerness to leave again. Without thinking about it, she steps into the small crowd and speaks.

"Are you sure you want to leave so soon, Ash?" She asks. "Because if you want, you can come back to the Battle Tower with me and watch me face Timothy."

Serena turns to Anabel, confused, and asks, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The girl with light-purple-hair gives Serena a friendly smile and says, "My name is Anabel. I'm the Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower."

"Oh, so you're the Frontier Brain Timothy has to face next," Serena says with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Anabel says. "I enjoyed your performance. You're very talented."

"Thank you. You're very nice," Serena says.

Anabel nods and turns to Ash and says, "Anyway, would you be interested in that? I'd love to catch up with you and Brock more afterward and get to know all your friends."

"Sure. We were planning to cheer Timothy on, anyway," Ash says before turning to Brock, Holly, and Dawn. "Do you think that would be okay if we still do that?"

"I don't see why not," Brock says. "Viridian City is not very far from here, so we can spare a little time."

Holly hesitates, clearly wanting to leave immediately for her last badge but eventually sighs and says, "Well, if it's okay with Brock, then I'm in."

Brock turns to Holly and smiles at her. The two of them stare at each other blissfully until Dawn speaks.

"I'm afraid you'll have to count Piplup and me out," she says.

Everyone turns to her, surprised.

"Why's that, Dawn?" Coovers asks.

Dawn smirks and walks over to Serena with a friendly, competitive look.

"I've been thinking about it during the contest, and I want to head to Indigo Plateau now," she announces. "After seeing how much you have improved, Serena, it's all too clear you've grown to be a true threat to my goal to win the festival. So I want to get ready for the Grand Festival by myself, where you have no idea what tricks I have up my sleeve."

Serena is surprised by what Dawn is saying before she smirks and nods at the blunette girl.

"I understand," she says. "I'm going to work hard too. And the next time we face each other, it'll be at the Grand Festival, and I'm going to win."

"We'll see," Dawn says. "I don't plan on losing."

"Piplup," Piplup says with its own competitive smirk.

The two of them nod at each other and shake hands before Dawn turns to the rest of the group.

"Well, I better get going then," she says. "Good luck on your Frontier battle, Timothy."

"Thanks, Dawn," Timothy says.

"And Ash, Holly, give it everything you've got at the Viridian City Gym," Dawn says.

"You know I will," Ash says, giving Dawn a high five.

"You can count on me," Holly says.

Dawn smiles cheerfully and turns to Piplup.

"Alright, let's go, Piplup," she says.

"Piplup," Piplup says the two of them turn around and start running east.

"Bye, Dawn!" Everyone calls out, and Dawn and Piplup wave at them as they run. Once the two of them are out of sight, Timothy turns to Anabel.

"Alright, let's get our battle underway, shall we?" He says.

"Sounds good to me," Anabel says with a competitive smirk.

"I think we can all fit my car," Scott says. "Though someone will need to sit on someone's lap."

"I volunteer!" Holly says quickly before she turns to Brock with a kittenish look. "As long as I get to sit on this one's lap."

Brock gives her a silly, bashful smile, much to her amusement. The two of them start giggling quietly while Timothy nudges Serena in the elbow.

"I think I'll speak for Dawn when I say you missed your chance to do that with a certain someone," he whispers teasingly.

Serena's pupils shrink, and her face turns deep red. Ash notices and looks at her, concerned.

"Are you okay, Serena?" He asks.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Serena screams, shaking her head to try to shake off her blush.

"Uh...okay…" Ash says uncomfortably before he gets an idea. "Hey, I know. Why don't we tell Clemont, Bonnie, and your mom the good news first?"

Serena instantly loses her bashful state and smiles.

"Great idea!" She says enthusiastically. "Is that okay with you, Timothy?"

Timothy hesitates, wanting to battle Anabel right away before he hides it with a smile.

"Sure, just don't take too long," he says. "Electchu and I have a battle to win. Right, pal?"

"Rai!" Electchu shouts with sparks coming from its yellow cheeks.

Serena chuckles, amused with how the man and his Raichu's desire for a battle is almost similar to Ash and Pikachu. As the group starts making their way to the nearest Pokemon Center, Serena looks inside her contest ribbon case and gives it a heartfelt smile. Her heart is filled with joy, knowing how she made people happy during all of the contests and that she's one step closer to her wonderful dream.