Chapter 30

"So which part of the showcase are we going to?" Deborah heard Margaret ask Shauna ahead of the Gardevoir. "Are we just seeing the Freestyle Performance, or we going to watch the whole thing?"

"I thought we could just see the Freestyle Performance, that's when the Kalos Queen will be performing," Shauna answered.

"I honestly don't get why you want to see the Kalos Queen, Shauna," Serena sighed as she walked next to her friend. "You've seen her twice before!"

Shauna blushed with embarrassment, but Mira snapped at Serena, "The Kalos Queen is practically a celebrity! It's easy to understand why Shauna would want to see her again! Besides, we haven't seen her before!"

"What can you tell us about the Kalos Queen?" Leia asked Shauna hurriedly before Serena and Mira could begin arguing.

Deborah snorted at the humans irritating behavior. It was the day after the trainers had arrived in Cyllage City, and everyone was already almost ready to move on. The Gardevoir's trainer, Maîtriser Danny, was challenging the city Rock Type gym along with Emmaline Gābena and Xavier. He had invited her to join them since all three of them were trying to beat the gym as quickly as possible. Deborah had been disappointed that she couldn't participate in the gym battle, but since she was going to assist Margaret in achieving her next showcase, her presence was needed at the Cyllage City Pokemon Showcase, where the Kalos Queen was going to perform.

A quiet panting noise came from behind the Embrace Pokemon, causing her to turn her head around slightly. Amelia, the wimpy Mareep Margaret had recruited to her team, was trying to catch up to the Gardevoir. Her thick wool was causing her to be slower than everyone else.

"Wait for me!" Amelia panted as Deborah stopped to allow her to catch up.

"Why are you engaging in the activity, again?" Deborah asked in her pokemon language with slight frustration.

"Oh, well, M-Miss Margaret said that I could do the Pokemon Showcases with her if I would like!" Amelia answered. "She said I could do the next showcase!"

The Embrace Pokemon nodded and sighed, "I guess that makes us teammates, I suppose. But aren't you looking after the one eyed boy?"

"Y-You mean Mister Sky? He is doing much better now and is almost back to normal! Still shaken, not to mention embarrassed, but he's in perfect health!"

"Really? He's no longer delusional?"

"No, he seemed perfectly fine. He, um, like I said, he's embarrassed by his behavior yesterday. He's keeping to himself now, he has been with Mister Alan and Mister Shane."

The Mareep started breathing with difficulty as she began to fall behind again. Deborah sighed before using Psychic to levitate Amelia. Her eyes glowing a light greenish blue, her aura lifted the Electric Type up and set her on Deborah's slim yet sturdy shoulders. Amelia was surprising light for a pokemon with such a large amount of wool.

After Amelia stuttered a quiet thank you, Deborah quickened her pace so she was closer the group of humans girls. Even though she missed the beginning of the conversation, the Embrace Pokemon listened to the five girls talk excitedly to each other. They were still on the subject of the current Kalos Queen.

"I first saw her in person when I was ten," Shauna was telling Margaret, Mira, and Leia. "My parents took me to see the Master Class Tournament for my birthday. I was a fan of hers since the first time she started entering Showcases, and I was thrilled when I heard she had re-entered the world of Showcases. I was really excited when my parents told me they would take me to the Master Class."

"So what happens in a Master Class Tournment, exactly?" Mira asked curiously.

This time Margaret answered, and she explained in her soft voice, "Well, from the Master Classes I've watched, it's mainly a certain number of Freestyle rounds. Three performers go up against each other and must outperform the other two. Whoever get the most votes moves up to the next round."

"Yeah, that's it," Shauna agreed. "Performers are picked off until only three performers remain. Whoever wins that round will go up against the current Kalos Queen. The final round is a Freestyle performance between the performer and the Kalos Queen. Each of them will get to perform in front of the audience, and then people from all over Kalos can vote on who they want as Kalos Queen. If the performer wins the most votes, she will become the new Kalos Queen. If the current Kalos Queen wins, she gets to keep her crown and title for another year."

"Well I wouldn't want to be Kalos Queen for a year," Serena said in an irritating tone. "Too much work!"

Deborah could see that Shauna looked a little down at this as she argued, "But our Kalos Queen has been queen for three years! She must enjoy it if she hasn't quit yet!"

"Three years is an awfully long time to be Kalos Queen," Leia pointed out, frowning. "What does the Kalos Queen do then?"

"She's the icon of the Showcase World, so most of her work is Showcase related," Shauna answered. "One of the main things is guest performing in different showcases around the region. She also has to attend Showcase related meetings and all sorts of celebrity meetings. The Kalos Queen also gets to meet with important people from other regions. I heard that she met Hoenn's Top Coordinator less than a year ago and that's how they ended up training together."

"Do Top Coordinators interact with the Kalos Queen often?" Mira inquired next. "I mean, they're both from different regions!"

"Sometimes they do. Hoenn's current Top Coordinator, Jerry Reina, came to Kalos a few months back and he met our Kalos Queen. I guess they hit it off really well, and now they both work together to improve they're performances. They're kinda like rivals, and I believe they still meet together."

Deborah remembered the picture she saw in N Gropius's igloo of the girl and the two boys. The letters she read, one of the fugitive's corespondents was called Jerry Reina. It didn't really surprise her to here he had become Top Coordinator. The girl he hung out with, Esther, was filled with passion for Pokemon Showcases and Contests. Maybe the dream of being coordinator had rubbed off on Jerry Reina as well.

"So what was it like when she became Kalos Queen?" Deborah heard Margaret ask Shauna. "You said you were there in person."

"Yep," Shauna replied, a smile spreading across her face at the thought of that memory. "It was great! She rose up through the rounds with ease! She left most performers in the dust! In the second to last round, she went up against another performer and her own sister! I have a feeling that she wasn't too happy about defeating her sister, but she won that round and went up against the Kalos Queen of that time, Harmony Raindrop. Harmony did her performance first, and it was absolutely incredible! But when our current Queen went up, she left Harmony in the dust, cause when she entered the center of the stage with her six pokemon, she opened her mouth and sang!"

"You can sing in Showcases?" Leia said blankly.

"Well, at that time there wasn't a rule about singing. But she and her pokemon put on a performance that Kalos wasn't going to forget in a hurry! She and her pokemon performed gracefully while she sang! The thing was, later on during an interview, she admitted that she wasn't singing for the audience, she was singing for one person. Apparently a close friend of hers had come to see her performance, which was amazing to her because he had locked himself in his house while in a depression. She then changed her performance last minute so it would be one he would remeber, one he would know was just for him. But she won the showcase, and they have allowed singing in Showcases ever since!"

"Maybe you should try that, Margaret!" Mira told Margaret excitedly. "You have a good singing voice!"

Margaret's face turned read and she muttered, "Um, I'm not that good..."

"You're being modest, you're a great singer! If you can get on stage and perform, I'm sure you can perform and sing!" Leia pointed out, but she scowled at Serena, who had stifled a small snort of laughter.

"Performers usually don't sing until their comfortable with the stage," Shauna said to Margaret. "It's ok if you can't do it right away! The earliest performers start singing in their performances is in their second or third showcase! Others don't sing till the Master Class Tournment! You have plenty of time to try it!"

"Oh, well thank you..."

The theater where the Pokemon Showcase was being held soon came into view. It was set near a bridge that connected to the next route. A few people were congregating outside, which probably meant that the showcase had already begun.

"Oh, I do hope that Freestyle Performance hasn't started yet!" Shauna said worryingly as the group entered the theater.

"The Theme Performance started an hour and a half ago, I'm sure it hasn't started yet," Mira told her reassuringly. "The more performers there are, the more time it takes to get through the Theme Performance. There is still the intermission as well."

However, there was no need to worry. People were scattered around the lobby as they talked excitedly about the Showcase thus far. Mira appeared to be right and that they had come in during the intermission.

"I'll ask when the next performance starts," Serena offered, beginning to walk away from the group.

While the other girls continued to talk excitedly, Deborah felt Amelia jump off her shoulder and land on the floor. The Mareep kept close to the Gardevoir, but she looked around the lobby with interest.

"This will be exciting!" the little Electric Type squeaked happily while she watched two pokemon, a Teddiursa and a Slowpoke, walk past with their trainer. "I've never seen so many pokemon before!"

"You lived in a forest, though," Deborah pointed out in the pokemon speech."Surely you've seen your fair share of wild pokemon."

"Well I left my family to care for other pokemon in the forest, but recently there haven't been many pokemon. I hope Team Flare get any of them, they wouldn't stand a chance against them..."

Amelia trailed off, a frown on her face. The thought of her friends being in the hands of the fiery villains.

"Um, how about your family?" The Mareep asked Deborah after a moment.

Deborah stiffened at the question. Her nightmares flashed vividly in her mind. The boy and the three girls, the bipedal Fire Type. White Copperstone had told her that they were apart of her old memories. But they weren't there, whether they cared about her or not.

"Maîtriser Danny and the other pokemon are my family." Deborah told the Mareep after a moment. Amelia didn't continue the conversation after this, for Serena had just returned.

"The Freestyle Performance starts in just a few minutes," Serena told the other girls while she passed out their Glowcasters. "We can be in the balcony since we have more and much, um, taller pokemon."

Serena through Deborah a glance, who raised a slim eyebrow questionablely. As the trainers started moving toward a doorway that led to the balconies above, Margaret approached Deborah and Amelia.

"Are you both ready?" Margaret asked the two female pokemon as she picked up her Mareep.

"Oh yes!" Amelia squeaked happily while Deborah gave a curt nod.

"That's good, oh, and Deborah, Serena got you a Glowcaster as well," Margaret added, offering the Gardevoir a Glowcaster. "She thought you should be able to vote as well."

"Merci," The Embrace Pokemon told her while she accepted the glow stick. Margaret smiled and beckoned her to follow.

The performer and the two pokemon followed the rest of the group up the stairway to the theater balconies. The theater was still dimly lit, though the lights would shortly grow even darker. People were scattered below in the audience, returning to their seats before the performance began. While there were plenty of seats up in the balcony, no one was sitting down. Shauna, Serena, Mira, and Leia were all standing at the railing. Shauna's Braixen and Skitty were now out of their pokeballs, as well as Serena's Quilladin and Mira's Spritzee.

Deborah looked away from the four pokemon, who were all starting to chat happily to each other. She couldn't help but envy at how well they got along with each other. She half wished she had more friends of her own kind instead of just befriending reckless humans.

"Deborah, aren't you going to watch? It's starting!"

The Gardevoir looked up to see Margaret already standing at the railing with everyone else. She was holding Amelia, who had fluffed up her wool to hide herself from the other pokemon.

Deborah nodded and walked over to the railing as well. The lights darkened and the people below were hastily returning to their seats. The lights above the stage brightened as the host came on stage.

"Welcome back to the Cyllage City Pokemon Showcase!" Monsieur Pierre announced to the audience. "We will soon begin our Freestyle Performance, where the performers that successfully moved up from the Theme Performance will become one with their pokemon!

"But first, we are honored to have the Kalos Queen herself grace us with her presence and skills! I now leave the stage for the Kalos Queen, Stella Knight!"

As the name rang through the theater, the lights above the stage went out. Then two flames appeared, one flame on each side. They twirled around and floated all the way to the center of the stage. When they met in the center, the swiveled around each other and became engulfed by pink aura.

"There she is!" Shauna squealed while the rest of the audience roared with applause as the lights above the stage turned back on.

A human girl was standing between two large fox-like pokemon, a Braixen and a Delphox. Stella Knight looked as if she was either in her late teens or early twenties. She looked like a very energetic young woman with a wide grin on her face. Her long blonde hair was twisted into a long braid that fell down her back. She wore an outfit that matched a female Meowstic's and a Delphox's coat. She wore a coat like a Meowstic's an a dress like a shiny Delphox's fur. Her arms were outstretched as she supported a male and female Meowstic in each hand.

"Hello, Cyllage City!" Stella called to the crowd as the Meowstics flipped out of her arms and landed between the Delphox and Braixen. "My pokemon and I welcome you to today's Showcase!"

When the applause subsided, Stella raised her hand in the air and shouted, "Ok, Taika and Blitzen, let's start the show!"

Taika and Blitzen both barked and caught their staffs, which had been floating above them from the Meowstics' aura. They crossed staffs and let the two Psychic Types leap onto them before pouncing into the air. They used their psychic powers to levitate themselves toward the ceiling. The Fire Types tossed their staffs in the air and were quickly caught with each of the Meowstics' auras. The Psychic Types meowed happily as they flipped around in the air with the torches while the Delphox, Braixen, and Stella Knight danced under them.

After the Meowstics did a few more flips and twirls with the torches before Stella yelled, "Nyx, Starry, pass them off!"

Starry and Nyx gave loud meows as they swooped down with the torches. They tossed them back to their owners, who caught them and began throwing them to each other majestically. Stella stood in the middle and would catch the staffs her Fire Types were tossing. The three of them would twirl the staffs around when catching on before passing them off.

Then the Delphox and Braixen tossed their branches to Stella. She caught them and twirled them around until crossing them together.

The flickering ends of the flaming torches were awfully familiar to Deborah. She suddenly winced and swiftly put her hand to her forehead. Her head had begun to hurt like someone had split it open. As if someone was picking through her brain. There was a flash and she could no longer see the Kalos Queen's performance.

***

"Now, Taika, use Fire Blade!" a girl's voice cried from one side of a rocky battlefield.

A Delphox in the middle of the field howled loudly and shot a stream of fire out of her mouth. The Gardevoir on the other side braced herself for an attack. She waited for her trusted trainer's command as she watched the Delphox form a sword of fire. The Fox Pokemon then returned her staff to her tail before charging at the newly evolved Gardevoir.

"Kalliope, make your own blade using your aura!" The Embrace Pokemon's trainer instructed as the Fire Type advanced on her.

The Gardevoir, Kalliope, nodded swiftly and concentrated her powers into making a formidable weapon. A second passed and a teal needle-like blade formed in her hand. It was up to her to win the battle for her beloved trainer.

She gave a loud battle cry and charged at the oncoming foe. They clashed blades with an echoing clang, as if they were really made of solid metal and not flames or aura. The two pokemon growled at each other, their faces barely an inch away from each other.

"Denver, Leaf Storm one last time!"

The Gardevoir gasped as a hurricane of leaves roared from behind the Delphox. She gave a shriek of fear and felt her blade vanish from her grip. She let out another shriek when engulfed by the leaves. The sharp edges bruised her skin and caused small cuts to open up as she was blown across the field.

When the hurricane subsided, the Psychic Type pokemon fell to the ground with a thud, a short ways from her already fallen teammate, a bipedal Fire and Fighting Type. The Gardevoir grunted as she tried to get up, but failed and collapsed. She faintly heard the two girls referring announce the opposing team as the winners.

Guilt welled up inside her chest. She had failed her trainer. She had lost the battle.

The Embrace Pokemon felt someone gently help her back on her feet. She winced and stumbled slightly, causing her to throw her arms around her trainer's neck. The boy also winced, but he then chuckled, "Kalliope, I'm afraid you're not quite as small as you were this morning!"

She quickly lifted her weight of her trainer and stepped back. As she and her trainer helped the Fire Type onto his feet, the boy told them kindly, "You both did great, I'm very proud of both of you! We'll work harder so we can win next time!"

Both the Fire Type and the Gardevoir nodded and gave small cries of agreement. It was a moment where the Embrace Pokemon truly felt happy that this boy was her trainer, her father figure.

***

"D-Deborah, are you ok?"

Deborah opened her eyes. Her head still hurt and swam, but she could see Margaret, Shauna, Mira, Leia, and Serena in front of her. She was now sitting in one of the balcony seats.

"What happened?" Deborah asked, standing up but wincing as a sharp pain shot through her head again.

"You got dizzy," Leia answered. "You looked like you were going to faint."

Deborah shook away the pain and stood up again. She rubbed her forehead and said weakly, "I am fine, I just had a...a daymare."

"If you're not feeling well then maybe we should go back to the Pokemon Center," Margaret suggested nervously.

"No, I am fine! I can continue to watch the showcase!"

"Well if you don't feel well again, we can leave and go back to the Pokemon Center," Shauna agreed while the rest of the girls nodded.

"I just need to clear my head," Deborah assured them, turning away from them and heading back down to the lobby.

The Gardevoir continued to rub her forehead as she walked down the stairs and entered the almost deserted lobby. She ignored the stares she received from the few people not watching the showcase. She was too busy thinking about the vision.

What had she just seen? Her vision had the same familiarity as her nightmares. The people... she knew them, yet she didn't remember them. They were strangers, yet they were acquaintances.

Deborah winced as her head throbbed again. She rubbed it harder and hissed furiously, "Cut it out!"

There was a soft panting behind her as she leaned against a pillar. Amelia was scampering down the stairs with some difficulty. The Mareep then skidded to a halt next to Deborah.

"What do you want?" the Embrace Pokemon asked before the Electric Type could speak.

"I-I came to check on you," Amelia answered, looking up at Deborah with concern. "You seem preoccupied..."

"I'm fine."

Amelia looked doubtful and continued, "Do you want to talk about your daymare?"

"The last person I talked to about my dreams was very unhelpful."

"Try me."

Deborah was taken aback by Amelia's response, but she felt that if anyone would listen to her, it would be the little Mareep.

"I have recently begun to experience... visions," Deborah told Amelia. "At first I only had them when I was asleep, but I just had one during the performance. The vision contained the same people in my nightmares. White Copperstone said they were resurfacing memories from my life before Team Flare."

"But you don't believe her, do you?" Amelia finished for her. "Why is it so hard to believe? It makes sense!"

"To you, but not to me!" the Gardevoir snapped, turning her back on the Mareep sharply.

There was a small silence before the Mareep broke it.

"You're scared of your memories," Amelia said quietly. "Whatever happened in your memories scares you, but you feel reassured by them. Why?"

Deborah didn't answer right away. She remembered the boy in her visions. The boy who felt so familiar. The boy who cared so much for his pokemon.

The Gardevior's beloved trainer.

"The visions I have, my nightmares, they always show a boy who I feel very close to," Deborah told Amelia, her voice cracking slightly. "I think he is... he was my trainer. But in my nightmares, the boy and three girls were attacked by Team Flare. In the end, the boy was crushed against a brick wall after his tall bipedal Fire Type was thrown at him. He...he was undoubtedly critically injured after that."

"So you're worried that if the visions are really your memories, your previous trainer is possibly, well...deceased. But yet you feel reassured because that would explain why your trainer hasn't come looking for you. If he was dead or too hurt to come after you, then that means he didn't abandon you or give up on searching for you."

"Are you a mind reader?" Deborah asked coolly.

Amelia gave a sheepish smile and replied, "I have a talent of sensing people and pokemon's feelings. I can mainly tell from body language, like how tense you currently are and how you're shaking."

When Deborah did not reply, Amelia hurried on, "Deborah, I'm sure there is a reason why your trainer didn't come looking for you. But it appears that Team Flare ambushed your trainer, he didn't just abandon you. Besides, I heard Team Flare is very elusive. I bet your trainer couldn't find where you were being held. If he did give up on looking for you, remember that you still have Danny. I can tell that he cares about what happens to you, and he sees you as a valuable member of his team."

"I...I suppose so..."

"Now, should we return to the performance? Margaret will get worried if we don't go back."

Deborah nodded and allowed Amelia to beckon her back up to the balcony. The Gardevoir felt slightly better than before. It was hard to worry about a boy she barely remembered.

They had missed the rest of the Kalos Queen's performance, and they had came in halfway through the second performer's show. Some of the performers Deborah recognized from the Ambrette Town Showcase, like Alyssa and Cloudy, two performers Mira and Margaret had described as snobby bullies. They're performances had been a little too flashy and self centered.

Finally, Monsieur Pierre came on stage as the second to last performer left the stage and declared, "That was an exquisite performance by Performer Georgia!"

The audience cheered and clapped politely, and then the host continued, "Now we have one last performer before the voting. I give you Performer Maya!"

"It's the girl from the last showcase!" Deborah heard Mira whisper excitedly as the lift came up to the stage, causing another round of applause.

The girl, Maya, was crouched between a Fennekin and an Ivysaur. Her outfit was slightly different then before. Instead of her waist coat like in the last showcase, she wore a black leather trench coat with designs of Klink, Klang, and Klinklang. She still wore the same dress and vest as before, along with the top hat and the Zoroark masquerade mask. She was grasping the walking stick with the metal Pyroar head on the top.

Her pokemon wore similar outfits. The Ivysaur wore a monocle shaped like a gear and had tan ribbons laced around its flower. It also had a much smaller top hat perched on its head, and wore a small jacket with a watch hanging out of the pocket. The Fennekin also wore a top hat with ribbon laced around his tail, and had a small leather waist coat. He did not have a monocle, but he did have a Zorua masquerade mask like his trainer.

Maya stood up and looked around at the audience. She nodded to her pokemon, who each ran to a different side of the stage. The performer then opened her mouth and a beautiful voice came out.

I know that I'm running out of time
I want it all, mmm, mmm

The Ivysaur ran along the perimeter of the stage and shot seeds out of his bulb as Maya thrust her arm toward him. The seeds began to sprout and slowly grow.

And I'm wishing they'd stop tryna turn me off
I want it on, mmm, mmm

Maya then thrust her arm toward her Fennekin. At the signal, the Fire Type began skipped around the perimeter and jumped through the loops the seeds were making.

And I'm walking on a wire, trying to go higher
Feels like I'm surrounded by clowns and liars
Even when I give it all away
I want it all, mmm, mmm

The girl swiftly took up her walking stick and twirled up her staff so the Pyroar head was facing down. Maya began to swirl around herself and began to dance gracefully.

Her Fennekin jumped through a loop and ran to her trainer. He leapt over his trainer's head and shot small flames at the tip of the stick Maya was holding.

We came here to run it, run it, run it
We came here to run it, run it, run it

The vines shrank into seeds as the fire burned them to ashes. Maya appeared in the center, her flame now purple from Ivysaur's Poison Powder. The flame grew wilder as she sang and danced again, the Ivysaur and Fennekin dancing around her.

Just like fire, burning up the way
If I can light the world up for just one day
Watch this madness, colorful charade
No one can be just like me any way
Just like magic, I'll be flying free
I'mma disappear when they come for me
I kick that ceiling, what you gonna say?
No one can be just like me any way
Just like fire, uh

The flames suddenly went out, putting the stage in darkness. All they could see was purple smoke. Then the flame reappeared, this time a whitish green color instead of violet. Maya swirled the fierce flame around as it lit up the performer and her pokemon.

And people like to laugh at you cause they are all the same, mmm, mmm

Maya thrust her arm toward her Ivysaur, who made a loud growl as thorny vines began the crawl around him.

See I would rather we just go a different way than play the game mm, mm

Her Fennekin leapt onto the growing vines and did some impressive flips on the thorny tips. It was even more impressive seeing Maya and Fennekin pass off the staff between them.

And no matter the weather, we can do it better
You and me together, forever and ever
We don't have to worry bout' a thing, bout' a thing

Maya then took the walking stick from Fennekin and ran around the thorny vines, lighting each of them on fire.

We came here to run it, run it, run it
We came here to run it, run it, run it

The performer ran back to the center of the stage and allowed her Ivysaur to put purple powder in the white green flame. It turned purple again as she thrust it toward the audience.

Just like fire, burning up the way
If I could light the world up for just one day
Watch this madness, colorful charade
No one can be just like me any way
Just like magic, I'll be flying free
I'mma disappear when they come for me
I kick that ceiling, what you gonna say?
No one can be just like me any way
Just like fire

The walking stick was then passed to Ivysaur, who threw it to Fennekin. The pokemon passed it to each other as Maya stayed in the middle to dance.

So I came here to run it
Just cause nobody's done it
Y'all don't think I can run it
But look, I've been here, I've done it
Impossible? Please
Watch, I do it with ease
You just gotta believe
Come on, come on with me

Oh, what's a girl to do?
Oh, what's a girl to do?
Oh, what's a girl to do?
Oh, what's a girl to do?

Ivysaur suddenly swung it vines swiftly through the air, causing all the flames to go out. It was once again pitch black on the stage, but the audience could still hear Maya.

Just like fire, burning up the way
If I can light the world up for just one day
Watch this madness, colorful charade

No one can be just like me any way!

The flames erupted on the thorny vines to life again as Ivysaur passed the purple flamed staff to Maya, who swung it in a circle while dancing with her pokemon.

Just like fire, burning up the way
If I can light the world up for just one day
Watch this madness, colorful charade
No one can be just like me any way
Just like magic, I'll be flying free
I'mma disappear when they come for me
I kick that ceiling, what you gonna say?
No one can be just like me any way
Just like fire

We came here to run it, run it, run it
We came here to run it, run it, run it!

The flames went out again as the final performance ended. The lights above the stage turned on again, pouring regular light over Maya, Ivysaur, and Fennekin as the audience applauded wildly. The girls, Deborah was sure, were clapping more than anyone in the audience.

"That was amazing!" Deborah heard Shauna say excitedly. "And this was just her second time performing!"

"Maya isn't an ordinary performer!" Margaret pointed out. "She is quite talented!"

Deborah noticed that Amelia was hiding in her wool from the noise and flames. She poked her head out after the applause subsided.

"This one was m-much louder than the other ones..." Amelia stammered while the rest of the performers and their pokemon came on stage to stand by Maya. Cloud and Alyssa stood threateningly on each side of Maya, causing the steampunk performer to shift uncomfortably. Even Stella Knight came on stage with her Delphox and Braixen, though she stood next to Monsieur Pierre.

"Now that the Freestyle Round has ended, we now must choose the winner of the Cyllage City Pokemon Showcase!" Monsieur Pierre announced to the audience. "You, the audience, must hold decide! Hold up your Glowcaster and change it to the color that corresponds with your chosen performer's key!"

He gestured toward the keys pinned to the performers skirts or jackets.

"Now you must all vote on my say. Release your vote on un, deux, trios!"

Everyone pressed their Glowcasters, causing hundreds of lights to fly through the theater to meet with their keys. The Gardevoir observed the performers below before pressing her button. Her green light floated through the theater with the rest of the girls and was absorbed by Maya's key.

When all the lights were absorbed by the keys, the lights darkened till only one light was on. It moved over the performers, threatening to stop over one of them. Holographic keyholes appeared above each performer. They were slowly filling up with the votes each key gained.

As the keyholes filled up, Monsieur Pierre told the waiting audience and performers, "And the winner of the Cyllage City Pokemon Showcase is none other then Performer Maya!"

The looks on Cloud and Alyssa's faces were priceless. They both looked furious and dumbfounded. Maya looked just as surprised as the audience cheered for her victory. Deborah watched as Stella Knight took the Princess Key from Monsieur Pierre and present it to Maya. The Gardevoir winced as her head throbbed once again. Something about the Kalos Queen was causing her head to hurt. If only she could figure out why.

*~*~*

"That was an awesome performance!" Mira commented as the girls, Deborah, and Amelia came down into the crowded lobby. It was very crowded since the Kalos Queen and her pokemon were meeting with fans in a corner. On the other side of the lobby, Maya was being interviewed on her two wins.

"So that girl, Maya, just needs one more key to be eligible for entering the Master Class Tournament?" Leia asked while glancing over at Maya.

"I guess so," Margaret replied. "I'm kinda surprised she is so far ahead. Her first showcase was the one in Ambrette Town."

"Well I bet it's not just her skills, she's pretty mysterious," Serena pointed out. "No one knows her true appearance, and it's rumored that she has another identity. She isn't who she says she is."

Serena then shook her head slightly before sighing, "So, should we go back to the Pokemon Center? Xavier and your friend should be done with their battles by now."

"Oh, I was hoping to meet Stella Knight!" Shauna protested, looking over at the Kalos Queen hopefully.

"Um, I wouldn't mind meeting her as well," Margaret said quietly.

"But it looks way too crowded, we might not be able to get near her!" Serena told them.

Mira snorted and retorted, "We could at least try! I would like to see her too!"

While the trainers tried to decide what to do, Deborah felt a tug on her gown. She looked down to see Amelia trying to get her attention.

"Deborah, do you know those pokemon?" Amelia asked, gesturing toward the crowd around Stella Knight.

"Which pokemon?"

"The two coming over here!"

The Gardevoir turned to see the female Meowstic and Braixen from the Kalos Queen's performance. Both of them were running toward the Embrace and the Wool Pokemon. They both looked ecstatic and were shouting, "Kalliope, Kalliope!"

Deborah turned to see if anyone else was responding to their calls. No one was paying them much attention. She turned back and jumped to see the Constraint and Fox Pokemon right in front of her. Amelia squeaked and hid behind her taller friend.

"May I help you?" Deborah asked the two uncertainly. She was startled to see they both had tears of joy in their eyes.

"Kalliope, is that you?" The Braixen asked tearfully.

"Of course it is, she has the same aura!" The Meowstic said before Deborah could respond. "Oh, Kalliope, how did you get here? After all this time, you're here!"

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," Deborah told them, edging back toward the trainers. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Kalliope, don't you remember us?" Braixen continued with concern, taking hold of the Gardevoir's arm. "It's me, Blitzen! Don't you know me?!"

"What did they do to you, Kalliope?!"

"Please, I'm not Kalliope, and I really must be going-"

"No, Kalliope, please stay!" Meowstic pleaded, tugging on the edge of Deborah's gown.

"Yeah, we gotta see Stella! We need to tell Ast-"

"I AM NOT KALLIOPE!" Deborah finally shrieked, unable to take anymore harassment.

The lobby fell suddenly silent. All eyes were on Deborah, the Meowstic, and Braixen. The Psychic pokemon and Fire pokemon backed away from the Gardevoir, both looking scared and rejected.

Light pawsteps echoed through the lobby as someone pushed through the crowd. The Delphox that performed alongside the Kalos Queen was moving toward the three pokemon. The tall Fox Pokemon had a dead serious look on her face as she stopped in front of Deborah.

"Can I help you with something?" The Delphox asked the Gardevoir coolly.

"Taika, it's Kalliope!" The Braixen said before Deborah could retort.

"She doesn't remember us!" The Meowstic added.

"I am not Kalliope!" Deborah growled at the Delphox.

"I'm not surprised," Taika hissed back. "Cause Kalliope would never treat her teammates like filth!"

For some unknown reason, this statement enraged Deborah. She gave a viscous snarl and formed her long Moonblade, causing the humans on the sidelines to yell and scurry away. She was about to swing it at the Delphox, but her attack was blocked by the Fox's staff that had been quickly and swiftly taken from her tail. Just like in her vision, the Gardevoir and the Delphox's faces were inches apart, both snarling at the other.

"Deborah, what are you doing?!" Margaret's voice cried shrilly as someone tried pulling her away.

"Taika, stop this immediately!" another female voice shouted as the Kalos Queen herself ran out of the crowd to stop her pokemon.

But neither trainers had any success. They were instead pushed away as the two pokemon tried to bite or swipe at the other. Deborah felt Shauna, Serena, Mira, and Leia try and help Margaret control her, but the Embrace Pokemon threw them back. The stupid Delphox had no idea what she had been through! She had lost her memories, her family, her trainer, everything!

As Deborah was about to form a Fire Punch, a small voice spoke in her head and whispered, "But those pokemon seem to know you, just as you know them! They may know you more than you know yourself!"

WHAM!

People in the lobby screamed as something hard hit Deborah in the side of the head. The Delphox, Taika, had slammed her staff into her face. The Gardevoir gasped and fell backwards. She heard the girl trainers tell her name while Stella Knight was pleading with her partner to stop. The Braixen and Meowstic had shouted "Kalliope!" while Amelia yelled, "Oh dear, Deborah!"

The little voice in her head vanished as more rage powered her. The Gardevoir howled with rage, stood up, and prepared to jab Taika with another Moonblade. However, she never got the blade near the Delphox. Instead, a new voice, a clear female voice bellowed, "STOP IT, NOW!"

The blade was knocked out of her hand from a long vine. At the same time, Taika was disarmed of her staff by a Fennekin's Shadow Claw. The Moonblade vanished and the staff fell to the floor with a light thud.

The steampunk performer, Maya, was now standing between the Fox Pokemon and the Embrace Pokemon. Her arms were stretched out to stop the other from moving closer. Her Ivysaur and Fennekin were at her side, both readying themselves for a fight.

"Stop fighting!" Maya repeated sternly, looking from Deborah to Taika. "If you insist on fighting, do it outside or on an actual battlefield! Just don't do it in a theater hall where innocent bystanders could get hurt!"

When neither pokemon did anything, Maya backed out from between them, and made her way to the performer's room with her pokemon. A few reporters followed behind her. The people quickly began to recover from the fight, and began talking loudly once again.

"Deborah," Margaret said quietly, tugging on the Gardevoir's arm. "Why did you fight the Delphox? What could she have said to make you attack her?!"

Deborah looked away from the Delphox, who was now being scolded by her trainer. She looked at the trainers' stricken faces before stuttering in a whisper, "I...do not know..."

"That's not a good answer, Deborah," Leia told her with concern. "You two could've seriously hurt each other!"

"I can't explain it!"

The conversation quickly ended when Stella Knight and her pokemon suddenly approached the small group. The Kalos Queen looked flustered and slightly irritated.

"I'm so sorry for my pokemon's behavior," Stella apologized, bowing her head. "Taika's behavior was uncalled for, and if Blitzen and Nyx annoyed your pokemon, I am truly sorry!"

"I-It's our fault too, Miss Knight," Margaret stammered, her face turning red with embarrassment. "Deborah didn't have the right to attack your pokemon, i-if there's anything we can do-"

"Oh, no, it's fine, really!" the elite performer insisted. "There was no major harm down, honest! I'm sorry this is how we had to meet! Please, just enjoy the rest of your stay!"

With that, Stella Knight smiled reassuringly at the group of girls before walking back to her table with her pokemon. Deborah felt the gaze of Blitzen and Nyx's stares burning into the back of her neck

"Well, do you still want to meet her, Shauna?" Serena asked her friend with a small smirk.

"Is it bad if I answer yes?" Shauna replied, watching Stella with disappointment. "I would still like to meet her properly- Deborah?"

The Gardevoir had just turned her back on the girls and began walking toward the entrance doors. She wanted to leave, immediately. She didn't want to mope in her misery in the theater lobby anymore. She wanted to run and never look back.

"Deborah, what are you doing?!" Mira called as Deborah broke into a run and fled through the doors. They slammed behind her as the Psychic Fairy Type pelted down the path they had come earlier.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry! she thought desperately to herself as her throat went tight and her eyes stung.

The Embrace Pokemon couldn't believe what she had just done. If they had been telling the truth, then she had just attacked and scarred her old teammates. Her old friends. Her family. She couldn't go back and after that. She just couldn't. How could they accept her back? And her trainer, that Stella Knight wasn't her trainer. The Delphox had not been the Fire Type of her vision. If her old teammates were with her, then that meant that her old trainer and brother figure were both-

WHAM!

"EEP!"

For the second time that afternoon, Deborah was hit by someone, though not in the same manner as the Delphox had. Deborah yelped and fell backwards onto the ground. Someone else fell to the ground across of her. Two male voices both called out, "Emmaline!"

The Gardevoir opened her eyes to see Emmaline Gābena on the ground in front of her. She was wincing and rubbing her head. Her navy blue felt hat had fallen off and was laying next to her. Her Riolu, Blazestar, had fallen off her shoulders and was on his back behind his trainer. Deborah and Emmaline had appeared to have both ran (in Emmaline's case, skated) right into each other.

"Deborah? What are you doing here?"

Deborah looked up to see her trainer standing over her. He looked very concerned yet surprised while holding out his hand for her to take. At the same time, Xavier was helped Emmaline up onto her feet while seeing if she was ok.

"I wish to not talk about my day..." Deborah muttered, taking his hand snd standing up.

"Well if you don't talk about your time at the theater, I'm pretty sure they will," Danny pointed out while nodding his head toward something behind Deborah.

Margaret, Mira, Leia, Shauna, and Serena were running toward them, all of them looking very worried and nerovus. Amelia was once again puffing and running a few feet behind them.

"Oh Deborah, don't run off like that!" Margaret huffed after reaching them. "We were so worried!"

Deborah looked away from her, though it might have made her look sniffy and rude. Danny looked from Margaret to Deborah, but Margaret whispered to him, "We'll talk about it later..."

"What are you guys doing here?" Leia asked Danny, Xavier, and Emmaline. "I thought you all would've been at the Pokemon Center."

"No one from our groups were at the Pokemon Center yet, so we thought we'd checkup on you girls," Danny answered, turning away from his Gardevoir.

"Oh how did your battles go?" Shauna asked excitedly. "Did you all win?"

"We all got the badge," Xavier replied happily, and added while patting Emmaline's shoulder. "Emmaline was best without a doubt. She beat Grant after ten minutes while it took Danny and I that much time to get past the first pokemon."

Emmaline blushed as she picked up her Riolu and said shyly, "Well, I have to give credit to my pokemon, they worked hard to get the badge."

"Emmaline?"

Everyone turned to look at Serena. Deborah noticed Xavier and Shauna exchange frightened looks as Serena stared at Emmaline. Serena did not look very enthusiastic at Emmaline's pressence. Emmaline looked slightly nervous.

"Um, do you two know each other?" Mira asked, looking from Serena to Emmaline.

Emmaline smiled and said as she walked over to Serena, "Serena is my younger sister! Sister, it's so good to see you!"

But Serena did not seem to share this view. She ducked around Emmaline's attempt to give her a hug and looked disgusted.

"I thought you were supposed to be in Lumiose City!" Serena hissed without the slightest tone of kindness. "Why are you here in Cyllage City?!"

"Well, funny story, I made it to Coumarine City before the power went out in Lumiose City, and I couldn't challenge the Lumiose Gym Leader since he was working on the power outage problem, and I didn't have four badges anyway, so I had to come back and get the badges from Cyllage City and Shalour City!"

"Ugh, you've always been so forgetful," Serena sighed, causing the smile to slip off Emmaline's face. "Well I told you, Emmaline, to stay away from cities we're staying in!"

"But you won't even answer my calls!" Emmaline protested while her Riolu growled threateningly at Serena.

"I don't care, Emmaline, I really don't!"

"Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, and I have no problem with Emmaline staying and visiting us, Serena!" Xavier told Sernea firmly.

"You're being awfully rude to her, you know!" Mira pointed out angrily. "Why are you so mean to her?! She's your sister!"

Deborah felt a great annoyance as Serena snorted and hissed, "Sisters? I wouldn't go that far! She's someone who lived in the same house with me for all my life!"

In a flash, Emmaline's Riolu yowled and leapt out of his trainer's arms. He opened his mouth and chomped down on Serena's arm. Hard.

Serena screamed and tried throwing him off, but he refused to let go. Emmaline screamed as well and shouted, "Serena, Blazey!"

"Deborah, Psychic!" Danny suddenly ordered Deborah, and she quickly obeyed. Her eyes glowed teal and levitated Blazestar away. When dropped, the Riolu howled with anger and scampered away.

Serena was wincing with pain as her arm began to bleed. When Margaret, Shauna, and Leia tried to check it, Serena snapped, "Don't bother, I'll have Nurse Joy look at it!"

"Serena, it wasn't Emmaline's faul-" Xavier started, but she already rounded on her sister and growled, "Just stay away from us, Emmaline! Especially your Riolu!

With that, Serena marched past Emmaline and walked quickly down the road to the Pokemon Center. Emmaline looked horrified at what just happened. Her hands were over her mouth and her eyes were brimming with tears. Her Riolu had just climbed up a tree and turned his back on his trainer furiously. Serena wasn't the only one frustrated with Emmaline.

Shauna came up to Emmaline and put her arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry we had to be reunited like this, Em," Shauna told her in a much more kinder voice. "Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine," Emmaline answered untruthfully as she wiped her eyes. "I guess I was hoping Serena would've changed a bit..."

"Why was she being so hostile?" Danny asked Emmaline. "You weren't to blame for anything!"

"Serena is the youngest of her family, and their parents recognized Emmaline's talent for battling and catching pokemon more easily than Serena's skills," Xavier said seriously. "Since then, Serena has always kept Emmaline away from us so she doesn't have to compete for our attention."

"But it isn't Em's fault," Shauna added. "She never asked for so much attention!"

Emmaline sniffed and muttered, "I don't think it helped when Professor Sycamore gave me two starters instead of one..."

"If it makes you feel better, Serena doesn't really like me either," Mira told Emmaline reassuringly. "I know it's different when she's family, but don't let her keep you down."

Deborah watched Emmaline try and wipe away her tears with curiosity. For some reason, she felt like she was somewhat connected to her. She understood what she was going through.

Emmaline reminded her of herself.

"Emmaline, why don't you travel with me, Trevor, and Tierno for awhile?" Shauna suggested hopefully. "Serena will be with Xavier, so you won't have to face her."

"Um, ok, I guess," Emmaline agreed, though she sounded reluctant. "B-But I don't want to be a bother..."

"You're not a bother! You've been traveling by yourself for weeks, it's about time you joined us!"

Emmaline didn't say anything, but she nodded. She looked up at the tree her furious Riolu was in, but he refused to come down when she called for him. She eventually gave up and told him to come back by dark. Shauna and Xavier quickly said good bye after that and left with Emmaline to the Pokemon Center.

After a moment, Leia said quietly, "Well, I wouldn't say this day was the best."

"Oh, I do hope she'll be ok," Margaret whispered as she watched after Shauna, Xavier, and Emmaline. "She is very nice."

"Well Serena was being very rude to her!" Mira snarled angrily. "And that Riolu, he didn't have to ignore her like that."

"I bet he was angry that she wouldn't do anything to defend herself," Danny told them as he looked up toward the place the Riolu was hiding. "I'm under the impression that he doesn't like giving people the satisfaction of getting on people's- Deborah?"

The Gardevoir had begun to back away from the trainers. She wanted to be alone.

"May...may I be alone?" she asked her trainer somewhat pleadingly. "I want to think...please..."

"Alright," her trainer answered, though he sounded worried. "Just be back by dark. Try and be careful."

Deborah nodded and walked away from the trainers. She went down the road that led down toward the ocean. She was sulking in her misery. She hated herself over the way she attacked the Delphox. They could've told her who she was if they were telling the truth. But she ruined her chance. She ended up making them hate her.

She soon reached the end of the city and saw the crowded beach. She didn't go too close since there were so many people and pokemon. The Embrace Pokemon instead sat on a bench and watched all the happy humans with their pokemon.

It didn't take long for her throat to tighten again and her eyes to tear up. Deborah sniffed and put her hands over her face. Her life was so messed up and confusing. She could no longer take it. She wanted out. She wanted answers.

Why? Deborah thought miserably as she began to sob. Why aren't you here? Where are you, Daddy?

~✨*⭐️*✨~

"So, I heard you had quite a day at that Showcase," Stella's cousin chuckled over the laptop screen. "I had no idea Taika had that much anger in her."

"Emotions have been running high lately," Stella told Caramia, blushing slightly as she brushed her Meowstic, Starry.

An hour had passed since the Cyllage City Showcase had finished. Just thirty minutes ago she had finally gotten away from the theater and returned to her fancy hotel room. Her excuse was in the form of a text from her older cousin, Caramia Knight, saying she, Stella, and Stella's sister, Raven, needed to talk. It was difficult for the three of them to speak since Stella and Raven were in different parts of Kalos and Caramia was in the islands of Alola.

"Well she fought a random Gardevoir, what was the deal with that?" Caramia asked with a grin. "Surely she doesn't miss those fights she and Kalliope use to have!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she does," Stella sighed, glancing at her Delphox's pokeball on the desk. "Rivals or not, they were friends. Everyone else misses her too, and it's been three years. Speaking of Kalliope, how is Astro?"

Caramia shifted uncomfortably and admitted, "Well that's what I wanted to talk about. Now, do you know what's keeping Raven?"

"She was in Shalour City last I heard, but she should be here any minute now."

At that moment, the laptop screen split into two and made room to show the second participant. Stella's smiling and enthusiastic sister Raven was beaming at her from the screen. She was holding her partner, Pearly the Piplup, and her Greninja, Prince.

"Helloooo, Stella, Caraminy!" Raven greeted happily. "Is this the new video call time?"

"No, and don't call me Caraminy!" Caramia snapped.

"Why not, Caraminy?" Raven teased. "Everyone has a nickna- EEP!"

Stella jumped, not only because of Raven's scream but because a viscous faced pokemon had jumped into Caramia's lap and pushed is squashed face into the camera. His beady eyes and his large fangs made him a very intimidating pokemon no matter how small.

"Raven, you remember Poochykins, right?" Caramia sneered as she pet her male Yungoos.

"Why did you name him Poochy?!" Raven whined as Pearly squeaked and covered his eyes with his flippers. "Poochy is evil!"

"And Rotom isn't? Poochykins is harmless, yet I don't hear you complaining about Astro's stupid Rotom! He blows up every piece of technology we have, he sneaks into my phone, and cusses while in that stupid Pokedex! Poochykins only claws the carpet!"

"Yeah, Pooch is an angel," Stella said sarcastically, though she couldn't help but grin. "So how is Astro? Where is he?"

"He is...fine..." Caramia answered hesitantly. "He went out not too long ago. I thought we should have this conversation while he's gone."

"Why?" Raven asked curiously. "What's wrong, Caramia?"

"Well, it looks like we're going to lose the house soon," their cousin admitted as she frowned.

"What?!" Stella gasped, shocked by this news. "Why?! What about all the money from my own salary! I sent it to you both!"

"Stella, your salary won't support us much longer! We need jobs just as much as money! I have a chance of getting a gym leader role, but Astro... it's almost impossible for him to get a job."

"But why?" Raven demanded, looking fearful. "Astro is a gentleman! He's kind, hardworking-"

"And disabled, as far as any employers are concerned," Caramia pointed out. "He could get a job if his pokemon were strong and powerful, but Blaze is just as disabled as Astro. No one will give him a job."

"How much longer can you keep the house?" Stella asked, setting Starry on the floor, ignoring his meows of protest.

"A few months, five months at most," she answered sadly. "We just can't afford to pay for this house anymore. Our luck may change if one of us gets a job, but my hopes aren't high. Astro's family hasn't been much help."

Stella sighed with exasperation and said slowly, "What happened now?"

"Well they somehow found out about our problem and sent Astro a letter saying they refuse to send any money. Even worse, they also refused to allow his younger twin siblings to come visit. They are cutting him off from everything he's ever known."

"That's unfair!" Raven protested. "Just because he didn't want to take over the family company doesn't mean he can't see his little brother and sister!"

"He's disowned, Raven. The only family he has is us. Our own families don't even approve of him because of his behavior as a kid."

"Maybe I can send a note of recommendation to people Astro is planning on seeing for a job," Stella suggested, steering the conversation back to the more important matter.

Caramia snorted and pointed out, "No, that's not only weird but questionable. Look, Stella, it's great that you want to help, but twenty percent of a Kalos Queen salary isn't enough anymore, and I won't ask you to give more since you have all those other donations. Me and Astro gotta pay house bills and medical bills, and much more like that. Seriously, we might as well go live on the streets."

"Don't talk like that, Caramia!" Raven piped up. "We'll help out! We're family! We'll do whatever we can to help! Right, Stella?"

"Of course!" Stella agreed. "If the worst comes, you and Astro can always live with me! Besides, I think Nyx and Blitzen miss their trainer."

"He misses them too," Caramia said with a small smile. "To be honest guys...I regret going to Kalos after all this..."

The three girls fell silent. Stella stared at her cousin and whispered, "You don't mean that."

"Stella, that trip was one disaster after another when setting one foot into Laverre City!" Caramia snapped. "Kalliope was stolen by that organization, Team Flame, or something! Astro's depression after losing the pokemon he considered his daughter! He almost died, and his family didn't even care! All they care about is their company's future! And you, Stella, almost got permanently blind! We all got separated! You got your dreams completed, and Raven is still on her own trying to make her own dreams come true! And where am I today? I'm taking care of our handicapped and depressed friend!"

"She's got a point," Raven agreed quietly while her Piplup and Greninja nodded with approval.

"But those disasters made us stronger!" Stella argued. "Everything that kills us makes us feel alive, remember? We'll get through this, just like everything else. We need to stay strong and keep our heads straight, ok?"

Raven nodded and Caramia mumbled something inaudible. Stella knew they were all thinking about the attack that triggered the series of unfortunate events. All three of them had found Astro very optimistic before the attack, but without his Gardevoir, his daughter, he was depressed, weak, and desperate for hope.

"We're a family, and families stick together," Stella finally finished her speech. "No matter the conditions, no matter the pain, and no matter where in the world we are. We won't give up hope, and we won't give up searching for hope and a solution."