Do I Love Her??

12B) Let the Games Begin!

A/N : I am sure that you guys must have guessed who King is!! That's coz I am bad at keeping the twists in the story a secret.

And did I say 2? Well I make this story arc 3 chapters long, else it would make one very long chapter.

So sir back relax and enjoy the short chapter.

Once again in Lumiose City, our group of heroes have encountered Tierno, Shauna, Miette, and Trevor! After a hearty reunion, the friends have decided to redeem the buffet tickets they have won during the Performer's event back in Laverre City. On their way to the Lumiose Castle Restaurant, our heroes bumped into another friend – Daniel. Daniel informed them about the 'Audience Entertains' special. Instead of the usual play, a few males are chosen from the crowd to compete to become the Queen's protector - the Queen also being someone from the audience. Upon hearing this, everyone's interests have been tweaked, causing them to enter their names for the draw. As they began to eat, Ash, Tierno, Clemont and a mysterious boy named King have been chosen to be the competitors for the evening. Serena was then chosen to be Queen, and is told that she must kiss the winner! Upon hearing this, Ash is determined to make sure that Serena kisses no one but him, and sets his mind to win the first event, archery.

Amidst the hushed tones, the sounds of cutlery clanking against dishes echoed throughout the dining room. The audience stared at the stage ahead of them with their eyes wide open, awaiting the raven haired trainer to release his final arrow from his bow.

The first competition has begun with Tierno and Clemont being the first to accumulate their points. With the red circle in the center being worth ten points, and each outer ring after that being one less point than the former, each contestant had three shots at the target, and were given the chance to accumulate the highest number of points – thirty. Tierno being the first to take on the challenge accumulated a total of twenty points, and Clemont totaled a number of seventeen.

Having beginners luck on his first try, Ash received nine points. The audience cheered with excitement and could not wait to witness him shoot another arrow on his second go. Sadly, the pressure was too much for Ash and he ended up with only six points. His only hope was to score at least six points on his third try in order to get ahead of his buddy Tierno.

Ash took a deep breath, staring at the target in front of him. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves. His palms were sweaty, making his grip on the bow rather uncomfortable. His hands slightly trembled as he felt his heart pump blood throughout his entire body. I can do this.He thought to himself as he envisioned Serena's smile in his mind. His eyes fluttered open as he held his breath. Maintaining his posture, Ash relaxed his fingers containing the bowstring, and released his final arrow in the process.

He slowly moved his bow to the side as he, along with the crowd, watched the arrow fly towards the wooden target. In a quick second the pointed tip pierced through the wood. Ash took a step forward, focusing his eyes on where the arrow has landed. The audience behind him did the same, standing from their own seats, leaning forwards and squinting their eyes to make out the ring that had the arrow attached to it.

"Eight points Ash," said Brady who was confirming the score with his own eyes, "A great comeback! That puts you at twenty three points!"

The crowd cheered and clapped. Through all that noise, Ash could hear Bonnie and Shauna shouting out his name from the top of their lungs. He sighed in relief, no longer maintaining a rigid stance. He wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead as his rapidly beating heart began to slow down to a much more calming pace.

"Wow Ash!" Tierno complimented as Ash returned to his seat at the competitor's dining table. "That was pretty good."

"Yeah," agreed Clemont. "That currently puts you in the lead."