A/N: I was really busy last week so couldn't work on it much. This chapter might be a bit boring just because Shauna, and the others come back, making it eight and then Daniel nine, so this is more of an introduction I suppose and contains few amourshipping moments. Sorry about that! Hope you still enjoy it though. The next chapter will be much more... suspenseful? :)
Togepi does stay. I have more plans for it later on, but I think it will be seen much more in a sequel I am thinking of writing. I'm thinking of having it perform with Serena just cause I don't see being a part of Ash's battling team. haha
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A burst of flames traveled upwards before striking a cluster of pines that were not too far from the passing companions. The group came to a stop just a few feet away from the Pokemon Center to witness the canopy of trees omit a wave of dark smoke that began to ascend higher into the atmosphere. The flames began to spread, almost creating a large fire, but was quickly put out by what looked to be many squirts of water. The tops of the trees were now void of any color, and burnt to the crisp.
Serena wriggled her nose as the scent of burning wood wafted near her, "What's going on?" She asked, waving her free hand in front of her face to dissipate the smell. Her other hand had her fingers interlocked with the raven haired trainer. Ever since they caught Togepi just a few days ago, the two lovebirds have been holding hands during their travels to prevent Togepi from throwing a fit.
"I think its coming from the battlefield," Ash replied. Bobbing his head, Ash tried to get a glimpse of the action behind the cluster of trees, "Let's go check it out!" He said in excitement before letting go of Serena's hand to speculate the battle.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu who stood beside Togepi began scurrying in the direction of its trainer.
Shrugging her shoulders, the honey blonde scooped Togepi from the ground before turning her attention to the Lumiose siblings, "I guess we're watching a battle."
"Well of course we are," Bonnie giggled before walking ahead.
Serena and Clemont followed behind Bonnie before a few familiar voices began to fill their ears.
"Good shot, but not good enough! Ivysaur, Razor Leaf!"
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"
As Serena continued walking past the bunch of trees, the voices became much more recognizable. She ducked beneath a few branches before finally reaching Ash and Pikachu whose eyes were glued to the battle happening before them, "What's hap-" Serena left her thought unfinished as she noticed Tierno and Trevor standing on one side of the battlefield with Shauna and Miette standing on the opposite end.
Serena's eyes glazed upon Charmeleon who was in the middle of releasing a a fiery burst of flames from its mouth. With quick thinking, Miette and Shauna issued their own Pokemon to dodge the fire headed their way. Slurpuff swiftly dodged the attack, but Ivysaur at its already weakened state had been scorched by the flame slightly brushing up against its hind leg. The grass Pokemon fell on its side with its health almost fully depleted.
"Ivysaur!" Shauna called out with concern, "Are you okay!? Can you keep battling?"
The weakened Ivysaur breathed heavily as it struggled to pull itself up from the ground, "I-Ivysaur!" It grunted in determination, glaring at its opponents who stood ahead of it.
A smirk curved upon Tierno's face, "You are definitely improving Shauna, but it's still not good enough." The plump trainer began dancing on the spot with his Blastoise moving along with him in complete sync, "Alright Blastoise, let's finish this off! Hydro Pump!"
"Blastoise!" With a determined look, the tortoise Pokemon buried its feet into the ground to keep its balance. In a flash of a second, a powerful pressure of water ruptured from the cannons protruding from the top of its shell, its eyes set on hitting the grass Pokemon who just needed one more hit to faint.
Miette darted her eyes from Blastoise to Ivysaur the second before Blastoise unleashed its attack, "Slurpuff, Use Cotton Spore!" She pointed ahead at the space between their Pokemon.
In a flash of a second Slurpuff released its cottony spores, creating a large cloud like obstacle ahead of the tortoise Pokemon. Blastoise's high pressure attack charged straight at the cottony spores, filling it up with water. The spores increased in volume before exploding into a tiny million water filled molecules that immediately drenched everyone in the area.
"Alright!" Tierno called out with a beaming smile as Blastoise's attack continued on strongly, aiming for the Ivysaur in front of it.
"No!" Miette yelled out in dismay as the strong water attack hit both Ivysaur and Slurpuff, causing them to faint and lose the battle.
"We are the best!" Tierno began with his fancy footwork as he danced over to Blastoise and gave it a high five, "It's been proven! Boys are the best!" He stuck his tongue out at Shauna and Miette who were comforting their own Pokemon before returning them to their Pokeballs.
"Oh please, that doesn't prove anything!" Shauna spat out, her arms crossed, "It was just one battle and Trevor barely did anything!"
"He weakened your Pokemon!"
"Hey you guys!" Ash called out, running over to the four, with Tierno and Shauna bickering at the center of the battlefield, "That was a great battle!"
Serena began wringing the drenched spots on her clothing as she could hear Tierno apologizing for not seeing them anytime earlier. Bonnie and Clemont followed behind Ash and immediately took interest in any new Pokemon that Trevor's taken a picture of.
The honey blonde looked down at Togepi who was happily walking around in circles, enjoying the after effects of the attack that imitated a giant sprinker. She thought Togepi would cry from all the impact, but instead it was enjoying it by admiring the tiny water filled spores that were lying about the area. Serena averted her attention back to her clothes, a frown forming upon her face as she stared at the cotton that seemed to be tighty cling onto her outfit.
"Serena!" Shauna called out before running to her friend, embracing her in a hug, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?!" She asked, as Miette stood behind her.
Serena smiled, "It has hasn't it?" She averted her attention to Miette and gave her a nod, "Are you guys traveling together now? What's going on?"
"We are! After the Performer's Event, Miette didn't know where to go, and I asked her if she wanted to travel with me."
"Oh that's great!"
"She's a great traveling companion. If you joined us, we would be the Perfect Performer's Squad." Shauna giggled before finally noticing how drenched and ruined her clothes were, "We would be better than all those boys over there!" Shauna shot a glare at Tierno and Trevor.
Miette laughed after noticing the discombobulated look on Serena's face, "Yeah... Shauna wanted to call us the P.P Squad." She shook her head before continuing, "Anywho, Tierno said boys are better than girls, and it made Shauna angry." Miette sighed, "Her and Tierno have been dragging Trevor and I into a series of competitions to prove what gender is better."
"And that doesn't bother you?," asked Serena.
A smug look formed about Miette's face. "Of course not. I'm better than most, if not, all," She replied with a confident tone. She began blotting the water and cotton away with the help of a handkerchief, despite it making a very miniscule difference.
"Right, well now that you're here, we can prove to those boys that girls are better than them!" Shauna said with complete determination, holding a fist up into the air.
"Toge Togepri!" Togepi yelled out in complete support as it hopped next to the brunette Performer.
Breaking away from her thoughts of victory, Shauna looked downwards, noticing the egg like Pokemon standing beside her. She kneeled down to examine Togepi, "Aww..." Shauna said, her heart melting by Togepi's cuteness, "Aren't you just the cutest thing?" She picked up Togepi with her hands and held it above her.
"A Togepi?" Miette questioned before leaning in close to Shauna to get a better look, "Is it yours Serena? Did you catch another Pokemon?"
"Well..." Serena began with a nervous tone. She once again lifted her hand to fiddle with the blue ribbon on her dress. What would they say when she tells them that she's been raising Togepi with Ash?
Interrupting her thoughts, the raven haired trainer strolled by and took Togepi from Shauna's grasp, "It's mine and Serena's Pokemon," he said.
The two Performers looked to one another, blinking in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Shauna finally asked.
"Well, you see... Serena and I found it hatching on our way here to Lumiose City. It saw both of us at the same time, and views us as its parents." Ash finally replied, scratching his cheek with his index finger.
"So you guys are its parents?" Miette asked, a smirk forming upon her face.
"I guess you can say that."
"Oh that's so cool!" Tierno said, walking over to Togepi to inspect it. The plump trainer bent down, smiling at the Pokemon that was in Ash's arms, "Hi Togepi, I'm Tierno and this is my partner Blastoise!" He pointed to his tortoise Pokemon who stood beside him.
"Blastoise!"
Happy to be meeting new people, Togepi replied in a delighted tone. The others then followed in Tierno's footsteps and introduced themselves, making Togepi much more pleased.
"So..." Miette began, a mischievous look on her face, "As parents, how do you two take care of it?"
Bonnie walked over to the blue haired Performer, "When we travel, Togepi wants Ash and Serena to hold hands or else it will throw a fit," she said, clearly enjoying the fact that she could tell both her and Shauna about the progress that's been going on between the two lovebirds, "It even wants them to sleep in the same tent."
"Really now...?" Miette grinned before looking Serena in the eye.
The honey blonde could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment as the three sets of female eyes buried deep into her soul. Her fingers fiddled with the blue ribbon much more ferociously. Considering how things have been going for her in the last little while, fiddling with her ribbon seemed to be something that she's been doing a billion times a day. She had no clue as to how it was still hanging onto her dress in mint condition.
Noticing Serena wrap her fingers around the loops of her ribbon Ash asked, "Are you okay Serena?"
"Oh she's fine." Miette said, stifling a giggle, "I'm sure she's just tired of wearing wet clothes. I certainly am." She grabbed ahold of Serena's wrist and began dragging her to the Pokemon Center.
"Are you sure Serena?" Ash called out with concern. He knew that whenever Serena twiddled with her ribbon, it had to do something with him.
"Oh yeah, she's fine!" Miette called out with Shauna and Bonnie hurrying along behind her. They were all trying their best to contain their laughter.
Ash blinked in confusion as he watched the three girls take Serena away into the confined walls of the Pokemon Center. He furrowed his brow in worry, wondering what they wanted to do with Serena.
"Girls right?" Tierno said interrupting Ash from his thoughts, "Always so secretive."
"I suppose that's just the nature of girls," Said Clemont.
"Yeah, but no one likes secrets. That's why boys are better. We're always so straightforward!"
Ash shook his head. At least Serena was with a group of close female friends instead of some boy, "Yeah... Well Miette's right, we should change our clothes. We don't want to get sick."
The fairy type assistant bustled about the area, completing the certain tasks at hand to make Nurse Joy's job much easier. The calls of the hardworking Wigglytuff could be heard as it ushered around trainers with their injured Pokemon to the next available room for Nurse Joy to give a proper examination.
Lounging about the lobby were the exhausted bunch of boys, in newly dried outfits, waiting for their own Pokemon to replenish their health with the help of Nurse Joy. The Pokemon photographer sat at a table pressing buttons on his digital camera trying to organize all his photos into different categories. Across from him was Clemont who was, of course tinkering with another one of his failed gadgets in hopes of finally getting it right. Tierno was lazily slouching on one of the cushiony sofas, staring up at the ceiling in boredom while quietly mumbling a tune to himself. Sitting on the edge of the couch next to Tierno was the raven haired trainer who was intently staring at the door a few meters away from him. He closed his eyes, trying to block all the noise around him in hopes that maybe he would hear Shauna or any of the other girl's voices from behind the door.
After a minute of concentrating, Ash fell backwards into his seat in frustration, joining Tierno with his ceiling staring. His mind began to aimlessly wander about what they wanted with Serena. He didn't even know why it was such a big deal. She was with her closest friends, so he had nothing to worry about. He supposed maybe it was because he knew what girls talked about ever since he had to take on his alias of Ashley again, and he was curious as to what they were saying about him, if they were even talking about him.
"I think I'm getting hungry..." Tierno said in a lazy voice, "Or maybe I'm just bored."
"I can always go for some food." Ash said, sitting up. He turned his attention to Tierno who looked incredibly relaxed.
Trevor began rummaging through his knapsack, pulling out a few pouches of supplies before finally being able to reach his wallet, "Why don't we use those buffet tickets we got from the Performer's event?" He suggested before examining the small rectangular ticket that read 'Admit One to Lumiose Castle Restaurant, any day starting 7PM'. Around the border of the ticket were tiny pictures of nicely plated food. At the center were two knights clashing swords with a female figure of royalty watching behind them.
"We're all here in Lumiose, so we should all go together before we go our separate ways." Trevor said as the rest of the boys began rummaging through their own belongings in search of their own ticket.
"What are you guys doing?" Miette asked, being the first one to finally exit the room with the rest following behind her.
The honey blonde took a seat next to Ash as Trevor began to tell them his idea of going to the Lumiose Castle Restaurant.
"I think it's a great idea." Ash said, pulling his ticket out from his own wallet. He was surprised that he didn't somehow manage to lose it.
"Me too!" Bonnie said cheerfully.
"We should be heading over there soon then." The inventor began cleaning up his own mess, "It's almost six. We should leave after our Pokemon are done with their check up."
"That's a great idea!" Shauna said in a perky tone, "I'm starting to get hungry too."
"Wow..." Serena marvelled at the line of people who were waiting to get accepted into the restaurant, "I didn't know that this place was so popular."
"I think it's a new restaurant," replied Clemont who couldn't recognize the structure that was in front of him.
The design of the building mimicked a castle with two tall, round towers on either side. Attached to the center of the stony structure was a wooden sign with the words 'Lumiose Castle Restaurant', with each letter illuminating a dim bright light. Below was the entrance, with two opened glass doors and a concierge standing behind a podium. Standing atop of one of the round towers were two men who were dressed like jesters, announcing the specials for the evening. On the other tower were two other men who were dressed like knights, arguing about who was going to become the Queen's protector.
"Do you think it's one of those restaurants where you eat and get to watch a play?" Bonnie asked, inquisitive about the conversation that was happening between the two knights.
"That would be entertaining." Serena said as they all took their place in line.
The line slowly began to move with the eight friends taking a few steps forward every few minutes.
"Serena?" A male voice called out, "Is that you?"
The honey blonde whipped around to see an old friend standing in front of her. With his messy dark hair, and auburn eyes, a faint smile formed on Serena's face. It was Daniel, the boy who tricked her and her friends for his own selfish reason of getting her to go on a date with him.
"Daniel? What are you doing here?" She asked before noticing his attire. He was dressed in a white puffy shirt with a laced up collar, and black harem pants that were tucked into his black leather boots. Slung around his shoulders were two cardboard boxes, one labelled 'Knights' and the other labelled 'Queen'.
"I work here." He smiled before slightly cocking his head to greet the other familiar faces that stood behind Serena, closest to the stony exterior, "I see you guys are here with more friends." He said, feeling rather uncomfortable as Miette and Shauna stared at him with unwavering eyes.
"Oh yeah... These are our other friends, Miette..." The honey blonde began gesturing her arms to each person as she began with the introductions, "Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor."
"Oh cool. Nice to meet you all." He gave them a bright smile, causing Miette and Shauna's cheeks to burn a bright shade of crimson.
Tierno leaned over, inspecting the boxes that were dangling around Daniel's chest, "So what are these boxes for?" He asked, pushing down on a ballot that was sticking out of the slit.
Daniel reached into the leather utility belt hanging around his waist, pulling out a notepad of paper and a few tiny pencils, "These are apart of the event that goes on every dinner, Thursday night. You guys are lucky to pick this day out of any other day to enjoy the Lumiose Castle experience."
"What do you mean?," asked Trevor.
"Every night we usually offer a dinner and play, but on Thursdays we get the guests to be the entertainers," He pointed to the boxes, "I stand out here on Thursdays and ask males if they want to be a Knight, and females if they want to be a Queen. As dinner begins, our manager Brady picks out one name from the 'Queen' box and four names from the 'Knights' box. The knights then get to go under a series of tests to see who's worthy of being the Queen's protector."
"That sounds like so much fun!" Serena said in excitement.
"Did you guys want to sign up?"
Reaching for a ballot Ash said, "You bet I do!"
"Me too!" Tierno agreed, reaching for his own ballot.
"So can girls sign up to be a knight too?," asked Shauna with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"No... sorry." Daniel shrugged his shoulders as everyone began stuffing their own ballot into the rightful box, "That would be cool though."
The plump trainer leaned over Shauna's shoulder, "It's because boys are much stronger than girls. You wouldn't be able to handle the obstacles. You should just stick with sitting on a pretty throne."
"Oh shut it Tierno." Shauna gritted through her teeth, before mustering the courage to kick him in the shin.
"Oww!" Tierno grunted in pain as he started hopping on one leg, "That hurt Shauna!"
"Well I guess girls are strong enough to make a boy cry!" She stuck her tongue out at him before striding ahead towards the concierge, "Cmon P.P Squad! ... and Bonnie!"
Miette shook her head, trying to mask her expression of embarrassment, "I can't believe she just used that term." She followed behind Shauna and handed her ticket to the man behind the podium.
"Well... at least she didn't say it too loud." Serena replied, trying to make the situation much more bearable.
Bonnie skipped along behind them, "I want to be a part of the P.P Squad!"
"Don't encourage her!" Miette spat out, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to hide her shame.
Entering the restaurant, the group of friends were being ushered through a long hall that was brightly lit by a dozen amount of light sources that hung up on the walls. The lights took on the appearance of torches and hanging between all of the lights were portraits of knights and royalty.
"So pretty!" Bonnie said in awe as they reached the arched doorway that lead them to the dining hall.
"Hey Ash!" Daniel whispered, pulling Ash away from the rest of the group.
"What is it?" The raven haired trainer asked with blinking eyes.
"Pika Pika?"
A lopsided grin formed about the employee's face, "So you and Serena are an item now?"
Taken aback from his question, Ash stumbled backwards, "Huh...? Wh-Wh-What makes you think that?" He stammered, darting his eyes around the area to avoid making any kind of eye contact.
Daniel chuckled. "Serena always liked you, and I knew that you liked her too. Of course, you didn't know it back then."
Ash sighed, "Yeah, I was pretty dense..." He slouched, staring at the ground between his feet, "How do you know that there's something going on between me and Serena?" He asked, perking back up, curious to hear Daniel's answer. "I mean... I don't think Clemont even knows, and he's with us all the time."
"Well, I am a few years older than you guys," Daniel laughed, "The way you look at her changed."
"The way I look at her?"
"Yeah... It's different." He began stroking his chin, "Anyways, I saw it coming and I've been rooting for you two the whole time." Daniel smiled at the raven haired trainer.
"You have?"
"Yeah, but just so you know Ash, there's going to be a lot of things the both of you are going to have to go through," Daniel said in a serious tone before once again resuming a smile, "It'd be funny if Serena becomes the queen tonight though... We usually get the queen to kiss the winner of the competition."
"What!?" Ash's jaw dropped in shock.
"Yeah," Daniel joked, stifling a laugh, "If I were you I wouldn't have had Serena put her name into the box. What would you do if she had to kiss someone else?" Unable to control himself, Daniel burst into laughter. After a few seconds, he noticed the piercing glares coming from Ash, and recomposed himself, "Relax... What are the chances of Serena being the queen?"
"Ash!" Serena called out, flailing her arms over her head to get Ash's attention.
Before giving Serena his undivided attention, Ash looked about the restaurant in complete awe. The rectangular tables were all on different platforms that got lower and lower as it neared the enormous open space that Ash presumed was used for the plays. On the highest platform away from all the chairs and tables was the buffet area where Ash could already see Tierno overflowing his plate with appetizers.
"Isn't this place amazing!?" Serena said out loud as Ash took his seat beside her, "I already got you and Pikachu some food, " She continued before placing two plates in front of him.
"Thanks Serena," He smiled to himself, happy to know that he had her in his life.
"No problem, Ash." She gave him a soft smile.
"Hey guys, I'm going to use the washroom," Miette said after placing her own plate of food on the table, "Does anyone else need to go?"
"You always need to use the washroom," Shauna stated, taking a swig of juice.
"I just want to wash my hands..." Miette retorted, arms crossed. "I'll just go on my own then."
"Don't get lost!"
After several minutes of making themselves comfortable, and filling their table with the maximum capacity of plates, the group started to stuff their faces with the delicious food. The other customers around them were already enjoying their meals, and the buffet area was now completely void of any people.
Suddenly, the lights around the room dimmed as a bright spotlight shone down on a man who stood at the center of the open space. The upbeat tunes from the renaissance period faded into complete silence as everyone about the room discontinued with their conversations.
"Good evening everyone!" The man at the center of the stage said before introducing himself as Brady. "As you all know, it is Thursday, and that means it's the day where a few lucky people in the crowd get to be the entertainers!" He ended in an enthusiastic tone.
Everyone in the room cheered, and gave a round of applause. Some were impatient and yelled out that they already wanted to hear the competitors for the night. The group of friends quietly clapped, eager to be apart of the Lumiose Castle experience.
"This is so exciting!" Serena whispered to Ash as Daniel entered the stage.
"As usual," Brady continued on while Daniel unlatched the boxes from the strap that was hanging around his shoulders. There were two large glass bowls sitting atop two separate stools, and Daniel began pouring the ballots into the bowls respectably.
"We will start off with picking the four lucky knights who will compete to be the Queen's protector." Brady said as Daniel exited the stage. The manager took a few steps forward to the stool with the male names. The crowd grew with anticipation as he dipped his finger into the pool of paper, giving it a good mix. He pulled out a piece of parchment and read, "Tierno!"
The crowd filled with cheers and groans.
"Yes!" Tierno stood up from his seat, his mouth stuffed to the brim with potatoes, "I'm definitely going to be the Queen's protector!" He attempted to say through his starch filled mouth.
The spotlight shone above Tierno as Brady asked him to join him down on the stage. Taking a few scones, Tierno walked down the set of stairs.
"Our next competitor..." Brady once again reached out for another slip of paper, "Clemont!"
"Gahh!" Clemont groaned with anxiety. The spotlight began to swerve across the crowd, trying to find the person who had the name Clemont.
The younger of the siblings stood up from her seat, tugging on her brother's shoulder, "Big brother!" She called out, "What are you doing!?"
"I didn't think my name would be chosen!" He replied in a fearful tone. He raised his arms to his head, trying to mask his face away from the wandering light.
"Cmon Clemont! Don't be shy!" Brady said through the mic. Everyone in the crowd started turning their heads, aimlessly looking for the mysterious boy named Clemont.
"He's over here!" Bonnie yelled out, pointing over to her brother who was now, somehow taking on the cradle position in his seat.
"Bonnie!" He called out exasperated as the light shone above him.
"Oh don't be a big baby!" She spat out, "If you didn't want to be a knight then you shouldn't have put your name in the box!"
"You would have pushed me to do it!"
"Yeah..." Bonnie said with realization, "I would have, but if you don't go down there, I will ask every girl in here to be your wife!"
"No! I'll do it!" Clemont stood up from his seat, running down the staircase.
The room filled with laughter as Brady once again dipped his hand into the bowl of paper, "Ash!"
"Wow, all of our friends are getting picked." Shauna pointed out as Ash stood up from his seat.
"Maybe I get to have a battle against Tierno!" Ash said, holding his fist out in excitement.
The honey blonde clasped her hands together before looking up to give him a smile, "Good luck Ash!"
"Thanks Serena," He smiled back before running down the set of stairs, with of course, his buddy perched up on his shoulder.
"Alright folks, that's three knights! Time to pick out the last competitor!" For the last time, he reached into the bowl, this time digging a little deeper. For a few seconds, he moved his hand around, giving it another mix, "Okay..." He started before unfolding the ballot, "A rather interesting name..." Brady mumbled, "Will King please come on down?"
Everyone looked around the room, wandering who this King person was. Hushed tones and the boards creaking beneath their seats filled the room, followed by the sound of clunking metal.
"I am King." A distorted voice uttered. It sounded somewhat unnatural, as if the person's voice was being manipulated by a voice changer. It sounded a tad bit robotic, with a male English accent.
All heads turned, looking upwards at the mysterious figure who set foot at the top of the stairs. The mysterious boy wore armor with a surcoat on top. Not a single piece of skin was exposed, as they wore gloves and a knight's helm.
"Is this normal? Shauna whispered over to Serena.
"I don't know..." Serena replied, "Maybe they have a mysterious knight all the time.
"I guess..." Shauna sighed, "Too bad Miette is missing all of this. I bet she went to that gift shop."
King descended down the stairs, stunning most individuals, including Brady.
"Well, I suppose it's great to see someone dressed for the part. You surely are a fan of the restaurant." Brady said.
"Indeed." King replied, taking his spot next to Ash on the stage.
"Alright everyone! That concludes our competitors tonight! Now we shall announce the Queen for the evening. The Queen who will kiss one of these lucky competitors tonight!" Brady continued, as the room once again filled with anticipation.
He walked over to the separate stool, and reached into the bowl, "The lucky Queen for tonight is..." He unfolded the piece of parchment, "Serena!"
Ash's eyes widened as he watched the honey blonde stand up from her own seat. The room filled with a round of applause as Serena descended the stairs. What are the chances of Serena being the queen? Daniel's voice began to fill the raven haired trainers mind.
Ash scanned the faces of the crowd before finally finding Daniel standing beside the buffet with an apologetic look on his face. He could make out the words 'I'm sorry' coming out from Daniel's lips before he disappeared behind a statue. Ash took a deep breath before eying his opponents. If he really needed to, he could ask Tierno and Clemont to not accept the kiss. As for King, he knew nothing about him. He didn't even know what he looked like beneath all that armor. The Pallet Town trainer clenched his fist. I can do this. He thought to himself. I can beat all of them and win Serena's kiss!
After a short break, the five lucky entertainers for the night got into their costumes, ready to play their roles. Tierno was stuffing his face with the food that was placed on a table for the entertainers to eat. The inventor was sitting in a chair, scared for his life, and the mysterious boy King, stood in place, unmoving, as if he was a statue himself.
Ash attempted to scratch his leg, but failed to do so because of the layer of metal that was inhibiting him, "I think I prefer tuxedos now..." He groaned, scratching at the metal.
"Pika Pika..." Pikachu stood beside its trainer with a shield draped around its back.
"What do you think?" Serena exited the female changing room, wearing an ornate gown.
"You look great Serena..." Ash mumbled underneath his breath, his cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink.
"You do too Ash..." She returned the compliment, reaching for the blue ribbon that wasn't there.
Noticing her action, Ash chuckled, "Was it something I said?"
"What do you mea-" The honey blonde stopped after noticing her fingers twiddle with the intricate ruffles sewed to the collar of her dress, "Oh..." She blushed, "I just... I hope you win Ash." She pursed her lips before walking away in embarrassment.
"Alright everyone!" Brady announced, "Let us commence with the first competition!"
Ash and the rest of the competitors all stood on separate platforms while a bunch of workers wheeled out a giant wheel that contained all the possible games that they could be participating in for the evening.
Brady stood beside the wheel, handing his microphone to one of the workers. He reached for one of the upper pegs, giving the wheel a hard spin.
Ash stared at the wheel, hoping that it would land on something that he was good at. The wheel continued turning and turning, until it slowed down coming to a complete stop, "Tonight's first event will be... Archery!"
The raven haired trainer clenched his fists before looking up at Serena who was sitting on a throne at the most fanciest table. He watched as she tried to sit comfortably in her seat with Pikachu, Togepi, and Daniel keeping her company. I'm going to win this competition, and I'm going to win that kiss! He thought with complete determination. Now that he had her, he wasn't going to let any other boy near her.
Next Chapter Summary:
Let The Game's Begin!: The games begin, and Ash is set on coming first place in all of the challenges. Although, things don't go according to plan since the mysterious competitor King is an ace in everything, and is capturing all the female hearts of the crowd. Through the mess and stress, the conclusion of the valiant knight will be revealed!
A/N: This is the first chapter that is divided into two. What do you guys thinks about King?! haha. :) I hope you guys are looking forward to the conclusion.