Chapter 56

After May and Serena check up on their Pokemon, they return to the Main Stage stadium with time from the break to spare. The two of them decide to take seats on opposite sides of the waiting room while Dawn, Piplup, Drew, and Solidad have left to watch the show from the stands. The honey blonde performer and the brown-haired coordinator dare not look at each other as they keep their eyes on the ground and think hard about how they are going to beat each other.

 As they are waiting, there's a knock on the door, and the two girls turn their heads to see Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace coming in. Serena and May both smile and stand up to meet them.

 "What are you guys doing here?" Serena asks.

 "We wanted to say good luck to you both before the final battle starts," Brock says. 

 "Aw, thanks, you guys," May says. 

 "No problem, sis," Max says. "How does it feel to make it to the finals?"

 May thinks about it for a moment before she smiles brightly and says, "Honestly, it feels wonderful! I feel like I can take on anything now that I've finally beaten both Drew and Solidad in a contest battle. I can practically feel that beautiful Ribbon Cup in my hands."

 "Yeah, you would feel that way, May," Brock chortles.

 "How about you, Serena?" Grace asks, smirking. "How are you feeling about making it this far on your debut as a coordinator?"

 Serena smiles and says, "It does feel pretty great to me too, especially after defeating Giselle, Harley, and Dawn. Though speaking of Dawn, where is she?"

 "She and Piplup are sitting down at the stands from where we are," Clemont answers. "She sends her best wishes to both of you."

 May and Serena nod before the former thinks for a moment and says, "So who is rooting for who now that it's the two of us?"

 "That's easy," Max states proudly. "I'm rooting for my big sister all the way."

 "Not us. Clemont and I are rooting for Serena no matter what," Bonnie says proudly too.

 "Hey, don't forget me," Grace says. "She's my daughter, so I'm rooting for her too."

 "I'm rooting for Serena because I've been traveling with her the longest," Holly says with a smirk.

 Brock chuckles and says, "I honestly can't decide. I think I'm going to be happy for one and sad for the other no matter what happens."

 Everyone then suddenly turns to Ash and Bonnie smugly asks, "How about you, Ash? Who are you rooting for?"

 Ash feels uneasy with everyone looking at him. He turns to Pikachu, who is standing on his shoulder, and the mouse Pokemon just shrugs. The raven-haired boy chuckles nervously and scratches under his nose. 

 "The thing is, while I would be happy for either of you to win, I told Serena I would be rooting for her all the way," he says. "So, I'm going to keep cheering for her with everything I've got."

 Serena looks at Ash touched while May pouts childishly. 

 "No fair," she whines. "You've been rooting for me the longest."

 "Sorry, May, but my mind is made up," Ash says with a shrug. "I left Pallet Town in part to support Serena, and I"m gonna keep supporting her until the very end."

 "Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

 Serena smiles warmly, and a light blush appears on her cheeks. May notices the way her honey blonde friend is reacting and can't help but smile too. Serena thinks about how Ash has been true to his word throughout their journey, and just looking at him was enough to encourage her during her battle with Dawn. The moment is interrupted, however, when an attendant enters the room.

 "May, Serena, we're going to start in a few minutes," she says. "Please get into positions."

 "Okay," May says. 

 "Well, we better get going," Brock says. "Good luck, you two."

 "Thanks, Brock," May says. 

 "Give it your all, dear," Grace says.

 "I will, Mom," Serena says.

 Thus, Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace begin to exit the waiting room while May turns around and starts heading toward the field. Serena, however, stays where she is and thinks for a moment before turning to Ash.

 "Hey, Ash?" she calls out, catching the raven-haired boy's attention. "Can I talk to you for a minute before you go?"

 "Sure, Serena," Ash says with a smile as he turns around for him and Pikachu to face her. "What's up?"

 For several seconds, Serena doesn't say anything. She puts her hands behind her back and looks down on the ground nervously, confusing Ash and Pikachu. The honey blonde girl eventually gulps and looks at the raven-haired boy, giving him the biggest, heartfelt smile she can muster.

 "Ash, I know I've said something similar a couple times before, but I want you to know that out of everyone who's there to be there for me, I value your support most of all," she says. "You've always been there to help me in some way or another ever since the day we met at Professor Oak's summer camp. After you invited me to join you on your journey at Santalune City, I couldn't stop myself from being so happy to be with you and experience all of the adventures we've had. You never hesitated to have my back when I wanted to become a performer or when I didn't know what I was going to do after we stopped Team Flare. So before May and I have our battle, I want you to know that everything I've become to find myself and to discover and pursue my dream began with you, Ash."

 Ash and Pikachu are astonished with the way Serena spoke with such earnestness. The two of them just stare at the honey blonde girl while she gazes at the boy she likes with her ocean blue eyes. Finally, Ash smiles before he replies.

 "You're welcome, Serena," he says. "But don't forget, even without a friend like me, you're still very strong. You've always have been, and I'm glad I've been here to see you grow stronger with every obstacle you've come across. Whatever happens, I hope I'm here to see what you do next."

 Serena's smile falters slightly at the mention of what she's going to do after the Grand Festival. Ash takes her silence as a sign that she's done and says, "Well, good luck out there, Serena, give it everything you've got."

 Serena's heart sinks as he turns around, and he starts to leave with Pikachu still on his shoulder. Without even thinking about it, she runs over to him and wraps her arms around him from behind. Ash and Pikachu are taken aback as Serena pulls him into a tight hug and rests her head on Ash's other shoulder. The honey blonde girl closes her eyes and lets out a blissful sigh as she holds on to Ash and further lets out her appreciation with the hug. She not even at all bothered that Ash and Pikachu are confused or that she can feel her cheeks burning up. Deep down, she wishes she can keep this up forever, but she knows that it won't be long before she needs to head out for her battle. With one last squeeze, she lifts her head up and rests her chin on Ash's shoulder so he can see her give him an adoring smile.

 "I mean it, Ash," she says quietly. "Thank you for everything."

 Ash blinks, not knowing how to react to the way Serena is looking at him. Before he has a moment to try, however, Serena finally lets go of him, and he turns around to see her giving him a competitive look.

 "Now it's time for me to face May and win the Grand Festival," she announces proudly. 

 Ash takes a moment to process what is happening before he and Pikachu grin.

 "Right, give it everything you've got!" he says encouragingly. 

 "Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees.

 "I will!" Serena calls out as she exits the room and starts running down the hall. 

 The honey blond girl starts running down the hall energetically, feeling accomplished to let out what she wanted to say to Ash. When she's coming close to the field, she stops running and take a moment to hug herself, trying to fight off a fit of bashful giggles from tightly hugging the boy she strongly cares for. But her moment is interrupted when she hears the crowd cheering, and she starts to run again as Lilian steps back into the field.

 "And now for the moment you've all been waiting for!" she starts. "Three hundred and fifteen contestants have been giving it their all together with their Pokemon! We've seen the ups, we've seen the downs, we've seen some amazing spectacles from so many of our contestants! But now is the moment you have all been waiting for! Out of the three hundred and fifteen contestants, only two have made it all the way to the final round! One is a coordinator of two years from Hoenn, and the other is a newcomer from Kalos! They've both been through so much to get here, but only one will win this year's Kanto Grand Festival and take home the Ribbon Trophy! Without any more delays, it's time for the final battle between May and Serena!"

 The crowd roars with thunderous applause, and May and Serena run into the field on opposite sides. They each take out two Pokeballs and prepare to call out their Pokemon.

 "You two have been with me from the beginning, and now our moment has finally arrived!" May shouts at her Pokeballs as she throws them. "So, Blaziken, Beautifly, take the stage!"

 Serena smirks, knowing she has the same thing in her mind with her Pokemon as she shouts, "Braixen, Pancham, I choose you!"

 Both pairs of Pokemon come out of their balls, and Lilian does a twirl before she points to the screen above them and shouts, "Battle Begin!" before the timer starts.

 "Alright, Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut and Beautifly, use Aerial Ace!" May shouts. 

 Blaziken and Beautifly charge with Blaziken's fists glowing blue and Beautifly's body surrounded in white streaks. Serena waits for the right moment until she makes a call.

 "Pancham, create a wall with Stone Edge!" she shouts.

 Pancham slams its fists into the ground and creates a wall with Stone Edge just in time for Blaziken and Beautifly to run right into it, hurting themselves. 

 "Now, destroy the wall with a Flamethrower and Dark Pulse combo!" Serena instructs. 

 Braixen and Pancham fire their respective attacks, and they combine to create a powerful beam that destroys the wall and knocks back Blaziken and Beautifly, who are still standing close to the wall on the other side. The explosion creates a beautiful combination of blue, purple and yellow sparkles, which wow the audience while the judges take away some of May's points.

 "Don't let up!" Serena shouts. "Use Scratch and Arm Thrust!"

 Braixen and Pancham's paws glow white, and they charge at their opponents who are still lying on the ground.

 "Beautifly, use SIlver Wind on Pancham, and Blaziken, use Blaze Kick on Braixen!" May shouts. 

 May's Pokemon's eyes snap open, and they quickly get up just as Serena's Pokemon are about to strike. Beautifly flaps its wings, and a wind with silver crescents hits Pancham and sends it flying back to Serena's side of the field. Blaziken's feet catch fire, and it roundhouse kicks Braixen in the face with one leg and sends the fox Pokemon crashing next to Pancham with another kick. 

 "Now, use a combo of Psychic and Fire Spin!" May shouts.

 Blaziken unleashes Fire Spin, and Beautifly uses Psychic to make it more powerful and go faster. Serena and her Pokemon don't have a chance to react before the combo hits Braixen and Pancham. When the dust clears, Pancham has several burns in its body, and even Braixen appears to have a couple of burns despite being a fire type Pokemon. Serena is surprised to see the combo be so effective, but she takes a deep breath and puts a smile on her face to stay confident.

 "Pancham, use Stone Edge and Braixen, run on top of the Stone Edge!" she shouts. 

 Pancham slams its fists into the air, and blue pillars of stone begin appearing toward Blaziken and Beautifly.

 "Dodge it!" May shouts. 

 Blaziken moves away from the pillars, and Beautifly flies up just as one is about to emerge from underneath it. 

 "Now, use Flamethrower!" Serena shouts.

 May looks at her, confused, and looks up to see Braixen running on top of the pillars. Before she has a moment to speak, Braixen jumps off a pillar from Beautifly's side and uses Flamethrower above the butterfly Pokemon. The attack burns Beautifly as it crashes onto the ground upon impact. 

 "Beautifly!" May cries out.

 "Nice job, Braixen!" Serena shouts. "Now, use Scratch!"

 May frowns and shouts, "Blaziken, jump over that pillar and use Blaze Kick!"

 Blaziken jumps over the blue pillars on the floor perfectly and lands on the other side just in time to kick Braixen from behind with its foot ablaze before the fox Pokemon could use Scratch. Braixen howls in pain as it is sent crashing on the floor away from Blaziken and Beautifly, who slowly manages to get up and become airborne again.

 "Blaziken, use Fire Spin and Beautifly, use Silver Wind on Braixen!" May shouts.

 "Braixen, run back over here, and Pancham deflect their attacks with Dark Pulse!" Serena shouts.

 Braixen quickly gets up and retreats while Pancham constantly uses Dark Pulse to destroy Blaziken and Beautifly's attacks until its partner reaches safety. 

 "Blaziken, use Fire Spin again and Beautifly, fly up and use Morning Sun!" May commands. 

 "Morning Sun?" Serena asks herself before she shakes her head and shouts, "Counter that Fire Spin with a Flamethrower and Dark Pulse combo!"

 Braixen and Pancham create their combo again, and it successfully destroys Blaziken's Fire Spin, creating a cloud of smoke. Once the smoke clears, however, Serena sees Beautifly high up in the air with its body completely glowing white. Serena looks at the display confused before the white flow disappears, and Beautifly appears to be in perfect health with no burns in its body.

 "Wow, Blaziken's Fire Spin was just a distraction so that Beautifly would have the opportunity to heal completely using Morning Sun!" Lilian announces. 

 "What? Beautifly got all of its health back?" Serena asks, devastated. 

 "That's right," May says matter of factually. "Now, Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut and Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"

 Serena frowns seriously and shouts, "Braixen, counter Blaziken with Scratch and Pancham, use Dark Pulse to destroy the Silver Wind!"

 The two fire type Pokemon charge at each other with their claws glowing white while Pancham destroys Beautifly's Silver Wind. Braixen swipes at Blaziken first, but the taller Pokemon just dodges before it uppercuts Braixen, sending it flying into the air and crashing next to Pancham.

 "Braixen, are you okay?" Serena cries out worriedly.

 Braixen groans before it slowly gets up and takes out its stick to show that it's still ready to fight. 

 "Okay then, let's switch things around!" she commands. "Use Fire Blast on Beautifly, and Pancham, use Shadow Claw on Blaziken."

 "Beautifly, stop First Blast with Psychic, and Blaziken, use Blaze Kick on Pancham!" May orders. 

 Beautifly fires a large, blue beam, and it collides with Fire Blast, canceling each other out. Blaziken lifts its leg to hit Pancham, but the small Pokemon dodges the attack and slashes at Blaziken with Shadow Claw. As soon as Pancham thinks it got Blaziken good, however, the taller Pokemon just spins and kicks Pancham with its other leg, sending it back to Serena's side of the field. 

 "Blaziken, use Fire Spin again!" May shouts.

 "Braixen, you counter with Flamethrower!" Serena barks. 

 Both fire Pokemon release their attacks, but Blaziken's spiraling flame spins around Braixen's stream of fire and crushes it. The move causes an explosion that also sends Braixen flying into the air and crashing next to Pancham. Serena becomes uneasy, needing to do something to buy her Pokemon some time.

 "Pancham, create another wall with Stone Edge!" she shouts.

 Pancham struggles for a moment before it slams its fist into the ground and creates another wall of blue pillars protecting it and Braixen. Serena sighs and tries to rethink her strategy when she overhears May.

 "Blaziken, Beautifly, break the wall down with Overheat and Psychic!" she commands. 

 Serena gasps and shouts, "Pancham, Braixen, move away!"

 But it is no use. Pancham and Braixen are still trying to regain their bearing when they are suddenly knocked out of their feet by Blaziken and Beautifly's combo of Psychic and Overheat, destroying the wall of rock beside them. Both of Serena's Pokemon crash on the opposite side of her, and she kneels down to check on them.

 "Braixen, Pancham, are you alright?!" she cries out worriedly. 

 "Braix…" Braixen whines weakly before it loses consciousness.

 "Pan...cham…" Pancham groans faintly before it closes its eyes.

 Serena's heart sinks as she stares at her Pokemon, and hears the judges press their buzzards.

 "Beautifly and Blaziken wiped out Braixen and Pancham to take it all!" Lilian announces. "That means the winner of this match and of this year's Grand Festival is none other than May!"

 The crowd roars with thunderous applause. May stands still in shock for a moment before she smiles widely and runs over to hug Blaziken and Beautifly.

 "Blaziken, Beautifly, we did it!" she cries out with tears of joy in her eyes. "We really did it! Thank you so much!"

 "Blaziken," Blaziken bellows with a smile as it hugs May back.

 "Beautifly," Beautifly squeaks happily.

 Serena stays on her knees, and she processes everything that just happened. She frowns sadly and pets her unconscious Pokemon comfortingly before she robotically returns them into their Pokeballs. Then she slowly gets up and puts on the best smile she can muster before walking over to May.

 "May," she begins, earning May, Blaziken, and Beautifly's attention. "Congratulations. You deserve it. Your Pokemon were very powerful."

 May smiles sympathetically, knowing full well what her honey blonde friend is going through emotionally. She puts her hand on Serena's shoulder and pulls her into a hug.

 "You and your Pokemon were good too, Serena. Don't forget that," she says in Serena's ear. "And don't worry, you'll make it there too someday. I believe that." 

 Serena smiles briefly as May breaks the hug just in time for Mr. Contesta to arrive with the Ribbon Cup. May stares at the trophy with stars in her eyes as the judge presents it.

 "Congratulations, May," he says happily. "You made it all the way to the top, and now you are the Top Coordinator!"

 "Top...Coordinator…?" May repeats in disbelief before she slowly takes the trophy and then lifts it up in the air with joy, shouting, "I'M TOP COORDINATOR!!!"

 The crowd roars again, and Blaziken and Beautifly suddenly hug May from both sides. The three of them laugh happily, and Serena can't help but smile as she applauds for her friend. Even though she is still devastated that she lost, Serena is happy knowing that May's goal has finally been accomplished.

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

 After a few minutes of cheering, Lilian concludes the Grand Festival and lets everyone know that there will be a mega celebration later tonight. The crowd disbands, and so May returns her Pokemon, and she and Serena leave the battlefield together. Before they were at the end of the hall, they find Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace all waiting for them. May puts down her trophy before Max runs over to her, and the two of them hug each other happily. Serena smiles at their moment before she suddenly feels Bonnie hugging her tightly. She looks down to see Bonnie looking at her with tears in her eyes.

 "I...I...I'm sorry you lost!" the little girl cries before burying her face on Serena's stomach. 

 "Aw, Bonnie," Serena says with a sad smile before she gets down on one knee to hug her young friend back. 

 Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, and Grace walk over to Serena and Bonnie with smiles on their faces. Serena looks up at them and tries to smile back to the best of her ability. 

 "You feeling okay, Serena?" Grace asks.

 Serena thinks about it for a moment before she answers. 

 "Yeah, I think so," she says gently. "I'm sad that I lost, but at the same time, I feel glad. I learned so much with my Pokemon, and we all grew stronger because of it. I just know that we need to work a little harder, and we'll get there."

 "That's good," Clemont says approvingly. "And don't forget you made it all the way to the finals on your first Grand Festival."

 "Right, and apart from me, that doesn't really happen to anyone," Dawn says.

 "Piplup," Piplup says, nodding.

 "That's right," Ash says. "You should be proud of yourself, Serena."

 "Pikachu," Pikachu says, smiling.

 Serena keeps smiling as best as she can and says, "Thanks, everyone. I promise, next time, I'm going to win it."

 Ash, Dawn, Clemont, and Grace nod before Serena turns to Bonnie and gently breaks the hug. The little blonde girl is sniffling while she turns to Serena.

 "I'm okay, Bonnie. I promise," Serena says. 

 "You...you better be," Bonnie says, trying to muster a smile. 

 Serena giggles at Bonnie's response before they all turn to see May showing off her trophy to Max, Holly, and Brock. Brock and Holly notice Serena standing up, and they walk over to her with sad smiles on their faces.

 "I'm sorry you lost, Serena," Holly says. 

 "Thanks, Holly," Serena says politely.

 "You really gave it your all," Brock says with a smile. "Keep it up, and I'm sure you'll win next time."

 "I will, Brock," Serena says, nodding. 

 Serena then turns to Max, who simply nods at her, and she nods back before Brock puts his hands together.

 "Alright, what are we standing around for?" he asks. "We got a celebration going on tonight, and we should get ready for it."

 "Yeah!" Ash, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, May, Max, and Holly shout in agreement. 

 With that, everyone leaves and walks all the way to the Pokemon Center. Serena drops Braixen and Pancham's Pokeballs at Nurse Joy's front desk before everyone heads to their rooms. As they are walking, however, Grace puts her hand on Serena's shoulder, and Serena looks at her curiously.

 "Serena, may I have a word with you?" Grace requests.

 Serena blinks in confusion before she answers, "Sure, Mom."

 The two of them wait until the others are already far away, still heading to their rooms. Grace takes a moment to check that they are alone before turning to Serena. 

 "Alright, first of all, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be packing my things and get on a bus that's leaving for the airport in Viridian City soon," she says.

 "You're leaving already?" Serena asks, surprised. 

 "I am. I already have my ticket and everything," Grace answers. "I need to leave right away if I'm going to catch my flight in time."

 Serena frowns slightly before she nods in understanding. 

 "The second thing is I want to let you know how proud I am of you," Grace says with a heartfelt smile. "Not just for making it so close to winning, but for all the people you made smile during the entire tournament. You see, whether you were performing or battling, I took the time to notice the people around me and the way they were beaming when they watched you, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol was unbelievable. Even though you lost, I think you took a tremendous step towards your dream."

 Serena stares at her mother, completely taken aback by her words. She can't help but feel tears in her eyes as she walks over to Grace and hugs her tightly.

 "Oh, Mom," she says. "Thank you."

 "You're very welcome, dear," Grace says as she hugs her daughter back. "So, do you know what you'll do next?"

 Serena feels a pain in her heart, and she glumly pulls away and looks down from her mother.

 "I don't," she says. "I feel that I should be going to the Johto region and compete in contests there, but the thing is, I want to stay in Kanto a little so I can cheer for Ash, Holly, and Max as they compete in the Indigo League. I want to be there for them before I do anything else."

 Grace looks at Serena, confused, and says, "So cheer them on and go to Johto. That sounds simple enough."

 "Yes, but…" Serena begins hesitantly. "Part of me doesn't want to go. Not alone, anyway. If I do, I might lose something very precious to me."

 Grace looks at her daughter, puzzled until she puts the pieces together in her mind. She smiles at Serena in a motherly way and puts her hands on Serena's shoulders.

 "I understand," she says. "I know how hard it can be to be apart from someone that matters a lot to you. It's a difficult thing to experience for anyone at your age. But you are also very young and still have much of your life ahead of you. It's up to you to decide what matters the most to you. Do you follow your dream, or do you pursue something that your heart desires? There's no guarantee on which path is right and which one is wrong. Just be careful which path you take, Serena, because if you don't, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

 Serena looks up at her mother and sadly looks down. While nothing is directly said, Serena feels Grace knows what is holding her back from making a decision. The honey blonde girl gives her mother a simple nod to show she understands, and Grace pats her on the head.

 "I hope you'll be happy with whatever you choose, Serena," she says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I better get packing."

 Serena smiles slightly and lets Grace leave. Once she's fully alone, the honey blonde girl takes a couple of steps back until her back is touching the wall and slides down to a sitting position on the floor. She hugs her legs and rests her head with her knees before letting out a heavy sigh, still feeling as worried as ever about what awaits her after the Indigo League.