The Final Dream

Captivate and Charm

Ash's POV

"Today's the day.", I told Serena as she rose from the bed.

"Yup. Good morning, Ashy."

"Good morning too, Sere."

We got out of bed to have breakfast, only to find that May and Lisia were missing. Serena and I started looking for them, until we saw a note saying that they went out and would just meet us at the Contest Hall.

"That's strange.", Serena said.

"Wait, there's something on the back.", I  said as I noticed.

"Oooooh, that's why."

"Yeah, apparently May went for a date with Drew, then Lisia tagged along too. At least, that's what it says here."

"Well, you know what to do, right?", Serena asked.

"What? I don't.", I said, confused.

"You can be so dense at times, you know that? What I mean is: How about we go on a date of our own?"

"Y-Yeah, that sounds good.", I replied, embarrassed.

"Perfect. I know a good place to eat here.", Serena responded with a smile as she poked my nose.

We walked for a short while, the cool ocean breeze hitting us. It was refreshing, looking at the sea in front of the city. Finally, we reached the restaurant. It was a bit small, but the smell of the cooking was majestic.

"Well, here it is. Il Faro. This is where we ate when May won the Grand Festival two years ago.", Serena said.

"Wow, it looks beautiful.", I replied in astonishment.

"I know, right. I've always wanted to eat here with you ever since I saw this."

We sat down on the part overlooking the harbour, the clear blue waters matching Serena's eyes. The day was sunny, and the sea was calm. 

We simply ordered the assorted sushi platter, which had around 20 on the plate. Serena seemed to really enjoy the food. It was the first time I'd tasted it, and it was delicious. We fed some of the sushi to each other. It was a wonderful meal.

We went out, feeling full. We walked a bit more, enjoying the view of the city. We even encountered some Wingull as we were walking, with Serena feeding some of them biscuits that she had in her pocket.

Eventually, the time came for us to go. We were both excited to see what May and Lisia had in store for us. However, we soon learned that there were other appeals. The two met us at the venue, with Lisia's Altaria flying above her. Meanwhile, May and Drew were holding hands, making me know everything all at once.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ash!", Drew greeted.

"Yeah, it is me, Drew. Nice to meet you again.", I greeted back.

"So who's gonna perform first?", Serena asked them.

"Us!", May and Lisia said in unison.

"Oh, how long till then?", Serena asked. "I'm too excited!"

"30 minutes, give or take."

We waited for a while and were soon seated. I noticed that the Contest Hall had gotten bigger since I left Hoenn, and that there were a lot more people in here.

"Good day, everyone!", the host greeted. "Today, we will witness the Contest Battles for the Semi-Finals of the Hoenn Grand Festival. Each contestant will bring two of their Pokémon to participate. Since this is the Semi-finals, the Coordinators will immediately proceed to the Battle Round.", he said to the cheer of the audience.