The day of the Oreburgh City Contest came sooner than I could believe and I found myself in the prep room brushing through Roisel and Shinx's fur. Glancing in the mirror in front of me I double-checked my makeup and that my hat wasn't making any of my hair flip out strangely. As I traded brushing Roisel and then Shinx as they both sat on my lap, I tried to tune out the noise in the room and take deep, calming breaths. When a shrill laugh suddenly exploded from behind me I startled violently, accidentally causing both Shinx and Roisel to lose their footing on my lap and tumble to the ground.

"Oh! I'm sorry, sweeties," I cried out, reaching down and scooping my two small pokemon back into my arms. Roisel was giving her whistling laughter as if she had found it fun and Shinx patted my arm gently while giving me a toothy grin. 

The laughter continued behind me so I shifted in my seat to glance behind me. My eyes blinked in surprise as I recognized the woman's peach-colored hair and her sleek black dress that looked like it was made from silk.

"Well, if it isn't the little newbie! I'm surprised to see you after that battle against Keira," Ursula said with a sickly sweet smile as she looked down her nose at me. I felt my lips tug down in an annoyed frown but I shrugged and tried to change it into a smile.

"It was pretty shocking to be beaten so badly," I admitted blandly, although I couldn't help but think of how Satoshi had found me crying in the hall and helped motivate me to keep going.

"Oh, I can imagine, dearie. Going up against pros like Keira and I can be terrifying," she said with an obnoxious flip of her hair, sending her long, spiral-curled pigtails swishing behind her shoulder.

"I'm sure," I responded dryly, turning away from her and carefully reaching down to pick up my fallen grooming brush.

"Am I right to assume that this will be your first doubles contest?" Ursula asked, her snooty tone causing my teeth to clench together as I tried to remain civil.

What is this girl's problem? I wondered before turning once again to flash a smile at her.

"That's right! We've been practicing really hard, so I'm sure we'll make it into the battle rounds," I said, starting to feel nervous despite myself. Ursula's eyes danced with mirth, showing she must have picked up on my false bravado.

"Well, don't feel bad if you don't make it. Double performances are all about impact and drama, I'm sure it will take you a few times before you get the hang of it," she simpered with obviously false sympathy. I could feel an embarrassed flush causing my cheeks to heat up, but before I could tell her to take her superior attitude somewhere else a deep voice sounded from behind Ursula.

"If you have time to bother your competition before the contest starts you must be feeling threatened."

Ursula's eyes widened and she whipped around at the same time that I looked past her and felt a wide smile fill my face.

"Aryan!" I cried out happily, feeling an instant sense of relief. Aryan was standing just behind Ursula with one eyebrow cocked at her, and a bouquet of flowers was resting casually against his shoulder

"M-me? Threatened? By this newbie?" Ursula spluttered, her cheeks darkening into a vibrant red as she glared at Aryan with a look that waved between offended and embarrassed. 

I watched with secret pleasure as Aryan cocked his head slightly to the side. He didn't change his casual expression but he seemed to be radiating an aura of intimidation and I heard Ursula swallow nervously.

"If you're not then why are you trying to psych her out?" Aryan asked with a jovial tone that seemed to conflict with his intimidating posture. Ursula let out a small 'hmmph' through her nose and folded her arms.

"We were just having a normal conversation," she retorted, but I could hear the nerves in her words and I couldn't keep myself from smiling.

"Then you won't mind if I cut in. I want to wish my friend good luck," he said with a disarming smile while waving his hand in a shooing motion at her. Ursula's eyes widened at the abrupt dismissal but I was surprised when she spun on her heel and stalked away without another word.

"She seemed nice," Aryan commented sarcastically while giving me a teasing smirk. I rolled my eyes and laughed, feeling all of my tension and nerves completely disappear.

"I can't stand people like that," I admitted in a hushed tone before grinning widely up at him. "What are you doing here? I thought only contestants could come into the prep room."

Aryan returned my grin and reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out his wallet and flipping it open to show a gleaming police badge fastened to the inside. "You'd be surprised at the places I've gotten into just by showing this little piece," he said with a wink and I chuckled.

Suddenly Roisel, who had been excitedly jittering in her spot on my lap, bent her head down and then leaped up. Aryan flinched in surprise as Roisel landed on his chest and used her little claws to clamber up his chest. She boosted herself up to Aryan's shoulder and I couldn't help but let out an adoring "awww" when she rubbed her cheek excitedly against Aryan's before turning around and snuffling around the bouquet he was holding. Aryan and I both laughed and he held out the bouquet to me, which I could now see was filled with a variety of colorful roses, lilies, and baby's breath, so he could scratch Roisel behind her ear.

"It's nice to see you again, little one," Aryan said with a chuckle as Roisel whistled happily at the ear scratch.

"Thank you for the flowers, Aryan. I wasn't sure if you were going to come since I hadn't heard from you," I said with a grin, holding the beautiful flowers close to my nose so I could get a good whiff. 

Shinx had remained resolutely sitting in my lap and when I looked down at him I saw his eyes were narrowed suspiciously at Aryan as he took a second to play with Roisel. Placing the flowers on the counter behind me I rubbed Shinx between his ears. His tail wagged briefly at my touch, but he didn't take his suspicious gaze away from Aryan.

"I hate to admit it, but my lead has gone cold. The last few days I have just been doing research so I have plenty of time to come see your contest," Aryan explained with a smile, but I thought I saw his brow furrow slightly; I was sure he was frustrated at losing the trail of the kidnapped researcher.

"Well, I am very happy to see you," I told him truthfully, hoping that the contest would be a good distraction for him. Aryan smiled down at me, his features relaxing as he looked at Shinx sitting stiffly on my lap.

"So this is your new Shinx, huh?" he asked, reaching out a hand for Shinx to sniff at his fingers.

Shinx regarded his proffered hand warily, but Roisel chose that moment to scurry down his extended arm and jump back onto my lap, bumping Shinx and nearly knocking him to the ground again. I caught him before he fell this time though and Aryan and I chuckled.

"That's right. Shinx is amazing! He's so brave and he even learned a new move just the other day. I think he was born to be in contests," I said with a grin, and I could see Shinx's chest puff out in pride from my compliments. Aryan grinned and reached out to rub Shinx's ear.

"I had a Shinx once. I trained it up into a Luxray and she was an amazing pokemon. They are incredibly loyal, so I bet this one will become your friend for life," he remarked with a smile and I gathered Shinx against me to give him a squeeze.

"I sure hope so," I replied happily.

"How's your Feebas doing?" Aryan asked me, coming over to lean against the counter beside me and I turned so I could still look up into his face.

"Feebas is great! I found a way to train her, sort of. She still hasn't learned a move, but I've gotten her to actually jump out of the water and do a front flip," I reported excitedly and Aryan's eyes widened in surprise before he gave me a wide grin.

"Now that is something I'd like to see!" he exclaimed and I laughed. "Anything else new happen since we last talked?" Aryan asked curiously and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! I started traveling with another pokemon trainer," I said happily, thinking of Bree who should be out in the audience by now.

"Oh yah? What's their name?" Aryan asked, giving me a subdued smile.

"Her name is Bree. I met her when I was traveling from Floaroma to Oreburgh. There's a small town in the middle of the forest that was holding a festival and we met through her little sister," I explained with a smile. 

Aryan blinked, his expression turning into one of surprise and his hands that had been tucked into his pockets came out so he could lean them against the countertop. "Bree? You mean Bree Collins from Jezin Town?" Aryan asked in surprise and I blinked before nodding with a grin.

"That's right! How do you know her?"

Aryan laughed and shook his head, running a hand through his feathery bangs with a look of wonder. "Bree was the kid sister of one of my rivals. He's a breeder now, but I remember one year when Bree traveled around with Taylor and she was a spitfire. How's she doing these days?" Aryan asked with an easy grin.

"She's amazing!" I gushed excitedly, telling him a condensed version of how much she was teaching me and all of her many accomplishments as a trainer. Aryan watched me with an amused glint in his eyes and when I finally took a gasping breath he laughed loudly.

"That's great to hear that you found such a great friend," he said sincerely with a toothy grin. "It makes me a lot less worried knowing you've got a capable trainer traveling with you."

I blinked in surprise at that comment and cocked my head at him curiously. "You were worried about me?" I asked in surprise. Aryan's smile turned gentle and he reached out and flicked the edge of my hat gently.

"Of course. Anyone would worry knowing that a pretty girl who had zero pokemon training experience was wandering around the region by herself," Aryan said without even a hint of embarrassment. I, on the other hand, felt my cheeks heat up and I quickly ducked my head, hoping the lip of my hat would cover my face and my obvious blush.

A strong hand patted the top of my hat, smooshing it further down my head and I yelped, batting his hand away and turning to look in the mirror to make sure my hair hadn't gotten messed up. Aryan laughed happily at my reaction and I couldn't keep myself from smiling slightly as I adjusted my hat and made sure my curls were lying correctly.

"Contestants, five-minute warning!" a worker called out from the doorway. Instantly the already bustling room flew into a panic as all the other coordinators frantically did their final checks.

"I guess that's my cue," Aryan said, straightening up from leaning against the counter and flashing me a grin. His brown eyes seemed to sparkle and I wondered how such an impressive person had become my friend.

"Thank you for the flowers, Aryan; and for rescuing me from Ursula. You really helped me calm down," I said sincerely and Aryan chuckled. His eyes moved to Shinx, who was still sitting proudly on my lap and he pointed directly at him.

"Don't you let her down," he said with mock seriousness. Shinx flinched before narrowing his eyes and nodding firmly up at him. Aryan smiled and then reached down to rub Roisel's ear. "You too, little one. Don't get distracted during the performance."

"Roisiiiii!" Roisel whistled out happily as her little tail wagged.

Aryan gave me a final wave before slipping through the chaos as easily as if he were a ghost and then disappeared out the door. I glanced over at the flowers that he had brought me and smiled happily, picturing Aryan and Bree out in the audience cheering me on. Instantly another face flashed through my mind and I sighed lightly, glancing into the mirror and imagining that a boy with spiky black and blue hair and a Pikachu on his shoulder was there beside me.

"I doubt he'll be able to make it, though," I whispered to myself and I felt something nudge my stomach. 

Glancing down I saw that Shinx was looking up at me with a curious expression while Roisel had jumped up and buried her head into the bouquet of flowers. I chuckled at her antics before turning back to Shinx and stroking him gently.

"I'm fine, Shinx. Are you ready for your first double performance with Roisel?" I asked energetically. 

Shinx turned his worried expression from me over to Roisel, who appeared to be trying to burrow her way through the flowers and let out a nervous whimper. I laughed out loud, grabbing Roisel around her hips before she disappeared into the flowers and pulled her out. She squirmed in my hands but I flipped her around and tickled her belly, letting out a tutting sound as I saw her fur sticking up in strange places from her mini adventure.

"We're going to be going on stage soon, Roisel. Sit still so I can brush you and get you looking gorgeous again, okay?" I asked and Roisel smiled up at me, bending over to lick my fingers around her stomach.

I kept one eye on the monitor that was showing the performances going on as I brushed through Roisel's soft fur gently. Briefly, I wished that Theresa could have come along so I could have had someone to talk to while I was waiting for my turn. But that thought was soon replaced by a large desire to get my first win so that I didn't get too far behind her.

It was impossible not to be amazed at some of the routines that I was watching. Roisel and Shinx's attention also seemed to have been captured by the TV screen and I was glad that they had become my pokemon. My eyes widened when I recognized one of the most recent coordinator's to take the stage. I felt excitement bubble up in me as the boy with spiked sky blue hair released his two pokemon, revealing an Oshawott and a darling little yellow blob that had what looked like a cloak made of leaves wrapped around it. I knew right away that it was a Swadloon, since many famous Kalos fashion designers had at least one of the evolution stages as their mascot.

I watched as Norio gave another adorable performance with his two pokemon and I loved how he used grass and water type moves together to create a kind of nature-themed performance. At the end of his double performance, he and his pokemon all struck poses that looked like they were meant to look "cool" but all I could do was squeal happily from the cuteness.

Norio and his pokemon left the stage with confident expressions and I felt my grin instantly turn to a frown when Ursula took the stage. The devious part of me wished that she would fall on her face, but I couldn't help but jump in my seat when she threw her two Pokeballs and the seals on them created an incredible firework show. Out of the fireworks, a Plusle and Minun descended with electricity sparkling at the ends of the arms just like pompoms. The entire audience cheered for the duo and as I watched I couldn't help but feel my respect for her grow. Their performance was quite literally electrifying. She blended large moves with the cuteness of her pokemon seamlessly and when the performance finally ended I gasped, only realizing then that I had been holding my breath.

My shoulders slumped slightly as she and her pokemon left the stage to thunderous applause and my previous nerves began to inch their way back into my mind. Glancing over at the flowers that Aryan had given me, which were now a little rumpled after Rosiel's explorations. I frowned and let out a sigh before smacking my cheeks lightly. Shinx jumped at the unexpected clapping sound and looked up at me with obvious concern which banished the last of my feelings of self-doubt. I gripped my hands into fists and pumped them once.

"We can do this Shinx! We've practiced a lot. I know we'll get a good score," I declared firmly. Shinx's worry instantly vanished and he grinned happily at me.

"Shi shinx!" he agreed, the star point on his tail waving happily in the air.

It didn't take long for my name to be called. Taking a deep breath I squeezed both Roisel and Shinx into a group hug and then tapped them gently with their Pokeballs to return them. Slipping their Pokeballs into capsules I carefully stuck the seals on and tenderly placed a kiss on them.

"Let's do our best and have fun," I whispered and then squared my shoulders and walked purposefully out of the prep room.

Following the backstage worker's directions, I found my way to the waiting area as the coordinator ahead of me finished up. The young boy was struggling a bit with his performance and I felt bad when his Machop and Meditite crashed into each other after losing their balance in their final pose. The audience gave a polite round of applause but I wasn't surprised when I saw how disappointed his expression was as he trudged off the stage.

I took my spot in the middle of the stage and looked out at the audience. It was packed full and as I slowly raised my Pokeballs I heard Bree's voice shout out, "Show them how it's done, Serena!" followed by a high-pitched whistle. A large grin broke out on my face but I quickly focused and with a flourish I tossed both of my Pokeballs straight up.

"Let's do this, Shinx! Roisel!" I cried out just as their Pokeballs both opened up.

Choosing two seals that worked together had been difficult, but I had finally found two that I thought worked perfectly together. As the Pokeballs opened they released a stream of yellow stars and purple daisies that spun together like a windmill. From the center of the windmill, Shinx and Roisel emerged with Shinx gliding on a large star and Roisel standing on her back legs seemingly surfing on a daisy. They glided back and forth energetically and then flipped off as their 'boards' disappeared in a puff of sparkles. The audience clapped enthusiastically as they landed on the stage in front of me and I sighed in relief before holding out my hand in front of me.

"Roisel, use Fairy Wind and Shinx use Charge!" I called out. 

Just as we had practiced, Shinx leaped into the air directly above Roisel's head, and she looked up at the ceiling. Lifting one foot she spun herself on her other and released a strong Fairy Wind, creating a funnel of sparkling wind underneath Shinx which spun him up several feet into the air as his fur shimmered and sparked while he gathered his electrical energy within him.

"Now Sweet Kiss and Attract!" I called out, beaming up at Shinx as he glowed up on top of the gently spinning cyclone of Fairy Wind. Roisel dropped to her feet and began leaping up and down in a circle around the fading Fairy Wind cyclone releasing a large red Sweet Kiss heart every time she reached the apex of her jump. At the same time, Shinx was slowly falling back to the stage as the Fairy Wind cyclone weakened but he let off an adorable wink with his left eye which released a string of smaller pink hearts every time Roisel landed back on the stage.

I barely held in my squeal of adoration as Shinx landed safely back on the stage and Roisel made a beeline for him. The two began romping around in a circle joyfully as their separate moves began falling towards the stage. Shinx's Attract hearts were circling Roisel's larger and darker Sweet Kiss hearts like planets orbiting a sun. Once the hearts were only an inch off the ground Roisel and Shinx turned, facing opposite directions and leaning their faces down to the ground while lifting their rears up into the air in anticipation of my next order.

"Wrap it up with Pound and Tackle!" As soon as the words left my mouth Shinx and Roisel leaped forward. 

Shinx, still glowing from his Charge, headbutted directly into the nearest heart and it burst apart into a million tiny hearts which trailed after him as he moved towards the next one as if they were attracted to the crackles of electricity on his fur. Roisel meanwhile was flipping energetically and smashing her glowing paw into the hearts on the opposite side of the circle to burst them apart. She also used just the faintest breath of Fairy Wind to gather the tiny hearts so they would follow behind her as well.

Once all of the Sweet Kisses and Attracts had been broken apart into their miniature versions Shinx and Roisel turned and ran straight for each other. Just when it looked like they were going to ram into each other they both jumped into the air and spun in opposite directions. As they sailed harmlessly past each other their herds of miniaturized hearts popped against each other, releasing tiny puffballs of sparkles underneath the two. Roisel and Shinx landed back on the stage then both flung themselves into a backflip and I walked forward through the dissipating fog of exploded hearts while holding out my arms as straight and as stiff as I could. They both landed on my arms perfectly and I carefully spread my arms to either side of me to lift them up and show them off.

"Finished!" I declared to the audience. Both Roisel and Shinx were breathing hard after their energetic performance but as they faced the audience who were all cheering happily for them I could feel them trembling from excitement.

I grinned happily when I heard exclamations of, "So cute!" and "Well done, you two!" Gently I lowered my arms, prompting Shinx to hop down while Roisel turned around to scramble up my arm and take her customary perch on my shoulder. I waved happily at the audience before turning and making my way backstage and to the prep room so I could wait for the results.

When I got back to the prep room several of the other contestants came up and told me how cute they thought the performance was. I thanked them all and then headed back to where I had left Aryan's flower bouquet. I reached out and stroked a petal on one of the lilies and then turned back to watch the last few performances. When the last coordinator had finally taken their turn the audience gave one final applause as the judges compared everyone's scores to find the top eight.

Marian came onto the screen thanking all of the coordinators and their pokemon for their hard work and then directed the audience's attention to the screen. In our waiting room, I could hear a collective intake of breath as everyone stared at the multiple TV screens in the room as they waited to see their picture come up.

I couldn't even feel angry when Ursula's picture was the first to come up, her smug smile beaming down at us from the screen, since her performance really had been stunning. As more trainer's pictures were shown though, including Norio's, and mine hadn't come up yet, I couldn't help but clasp my fingers together and rest my hands against my lips as I pleaded silently for a miracle.

When the seventh picture came up and it still wasn't me I felt my shoulders slump and tears begin to gather in the back of my eyes. Trying to get a hold of myself I mentally told myself I needed to be strong and positive for my pokemon... But then the last picture came up... And it was me.

A/N Heehee, as if Serena wouldn't make it through :P I do have a question for you though. Would you like me to continue with the contest for the next chapter? Or do you want to see what Ash has been up to before we go into the battle rounds? I'm happy to do whatever you would prefer!