Previously in Pokemon Chaos and Order...

Ash, Serena and Nate meet up with Miette, Ellie and Dawn again. They all participated in the monthly talent show that takes place all over Unova called "Unova's Got Talent". Serena had no idea what she's going to do though.

To make a bad situation worse, Miette tries to force her to make Ash hate her, so she nervously gives a bad performance. That is until she takes one look into Ash's eyes, giving her strength to sing her heart out and win the competition.

Monsieur Pierre then announces that it's Performing Week in Unova, so our heroes decide to stay in Nimbasa City for the week.

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The next day...

Ash, Serena, Nate and Dawn woke up earlier than usual, because they wanna be ready for Performing Week. They are now walking around the streets of Nimbasa City, and they notice that people are putting up decorations for Performing Week.

"Is all this for Performing Week?" Ash asks in awe of all the decoration. "Could be..." Nate replied. "But I wonder if something else is going on tonight..."

"They're getting ready for the festival..." they heard Elesa's voice, causing them to turn around and look at her. "Hey Elesa..." Ash greeted the Gym Leader. "Wow! A festival?" Serena says, wanting to know more.

Elesa nodded. "The Nimbasa City Amour Festival that happens every year..." she replied. "There's a story. Long ago there were two Trainers who lived here. They've been childhood friends and once they were of age, they went on a Journey together. The more they tried to accomplish their goals, the closer they grew to their Pokemon, and to each other. Until one day, they confessed their love under the only remaining tree in the city..." she preceded to point at a Cheri Blossom Tree at the edge of the city

The four stared in awe at the beautiful sight before Elesa continued her story. "It is said that every year at the anniversary of the two confessing their love for each other, people can make gift offering for their Pokemon, friends and even a significant other, if they have one. And at dusk, the tree will shine like a rainbow, allowing those who have a pure heart to make a wish..."

"That sounds wonderful!" Dawn said. "And so sweet!" Serena replied. "Hey Elesa, what time does the festival begin?" Nate asked. Elesa smiled. "Precisely at sundown..." she said. "A person first places the present under the tree, and then offers it to the one they wanna give after the sun has set."

"So that's why they're headed for the tree with all that stuff?" Ash asked. Elesa nodded. "Sounds like a lot of fun! Why don't we do it too?" "PIKA!" Pikachu squeaked excitedly. "That's a great idea Ash!" Dawn replied. "It does sound like fun!" Nate replied. Serena giggled. "I wonder what I should give..."

Elesa smiled. "You guys take your time..." she said. "I'm going to help decorate the tree..." she started to walk towards the tree. "Great!" Ash exclaimed. "I'm so happy you told us! Guys, now that we know, we better go prepare those presents!" Serena, Nate and Dawn nodded.

"I'm pretty sure I saw a shopping center over there..." Serena said as she pointed towards the Amusement Park. "I'm sure we'll find what we need there!" "Great idea Serena! What do you think?" Ash said turning over to Nate and Dawn. Nate's and Dawn's faces formed into a small smirk.

"I think I should stay here..." Nate said. "The festival doesn't exclude giving presents to family members. Serena's my sister and so I think I should surprise her..." Ash smirked back. "I know what you're up to..." he teased. "Oh I bet you do..." he teased back.

Serena giggled. "What about you Dawn?" She asked. Dawn put her hand on her chin, trying to think of something (probably an excuse). She then snapped her fingers. "No can do..." she said shaking her head. "Why not?" Serena asked. "I'll assemble my present by hand..." she said, still having a smirk on her face.

Ash then put Pikachu on the ground. "Pika?" It squeaked in confusion. "Sorry buddy but you can't come with us..." Ash said. "If you see what we buy for you, it'll ruin the surprise..." Pikachu crossed its arms, acting a little childish.

"Ash is right..." Serena said as she grabbed her Pokeballs. "EVERYBODY COME ON OUT!" She exclaimed while throwing them in the air, releasing her Fennekin, Pancham, Eevee and Piplup. They all let out their cries. "So the egg I gave you hatched huh?" Dawn asked Serena, who nodded.

Eevee then walked over to Pikachu. "Eevee Vee Vee..." it cried, catching Pikachu's attention. "Pika?" Pikachu was surprised by Eevee's presence. "Pika Pikachu..." it squeaked while rubbing the back of its head, its cheeks releasing pink sparks. Eevee smiled. Ash, Nate and Dawn did the same, releasing all their Pokemon.

Dawn is revealed to own a Rapidash, a Bunneary, a Pachirisu and a Piloswine.

Dawn's Rapidash

Dawn's Bunneary

Dawn's Pachirisu

Dawn's Piloswine

"Hmm... someone is missing..." Dawn said as she looked around. Suddenly she felt something in her bag. She opened it up to reveal her own Piplup. "PIPLUP! I TOLD YOU NOT TO HIDE THERE!" She exclaimed angrily, causing Piplup to happily tweet before it jumped over to the others.

"Since we'll be staying here, we'll watch over your Pokemon..." Nate said. "We're all gonna have a great time!" Ash and Serena nodded as Nate's Pokemon let out their cries. Nate, Dawn and all of the Pokemon (all 20 of them) entered the Pokemon Center.

"You ready to go?" Ash asked Serena. Serena nodded and the two started to head over to the Amusement Park. After a couple of seconds of walking, a realisation suddenly dawned on them. 'Wow... Ash/Serena and I are all alone...' they thought. 'It's almost like... we're out on a date...' they both blushed internally over that thought.

There was an awkward silence, and the awkwardness in the air was so thick you could cut it with a Scratch attack. To break the awkward atmosphere, Ash decided to speak. "So um... what are you... what are you going to get Serena...?" He asked nervously.

"I... I'm... I'm not... I'm not really sure yet..." she replied, just as shaky as him. They both let out a nervous giggle before resuming their walk.

Ash and Serena then arrived at the Nimbasa City Amusement Park. The two quickly headed to the shopping center Serena mentioned. And it was MASSIVE.

(You can't see it here but trust me on this...)

"This is the heart of the Nimbasa City shopping district!" Serena exclaimed with glittering eyes. "Cool! Then I think we should check out every store!" Ash says. "Sounds good!" Serena replied.

Ash and Serena went to look at different stores. Serena went to an Accessory Store, and noticed a little ribbon. "Look how cute it is!" She said. "What do you think Ash?" She turned to look at Ash, who was nowhere to be found. "Ash?" She looked around only to see Ash calling her and pointing to something a little ridiculous...

"Hey Serena!" He said. "Check out this awesome face! Do you think Pikachu and the others will like it?" Serena nervously giggled. "It might be the tiniest bit too big..." she said. Ash took a second glance at the item, before turning to face Serena again. "Now that you mentioned it, you're right..."

This situation repeated itself a few more times. Serena, having an eye for shopping thanks to Dawn, points out something that she thinks is cute, only to turn around and see Ash getting excited over something either impractical or a tinsy bit ridiculous.

A Fishing Rod, an Escape Rope, types of letters, and even a freaking Bicycle. These were all things that Ash got excited over. This all changed once the two actually entered the same store. If you couldn't guess, it was a clothes store.

Ash was just running around the store, trying to find something that he might consider 'cool', but so far not being amused. Serena giggled until something caught her eye.

Her eyes began to glitter once she saw the dress. 'It's beautiful!' She thought to herself. She then remembered that she had to sign up to the Pokemon Showcase that will be held at Nimbasa City at the end of the week. 'If I wore this during the showcase...'

She was unable to finish her thought once she saw the price of the outfit. Serena's smile immediately turned into a frown once she realized she wouldn't be able to afford it.

"Hey Serena!" Ash ran over to Serena with an excited look on his face, and holding something that looks like a black bracelet.

"Can you believe they only had one left...?" Ash couldn't finish the sentence because he saw Serena looking down. Before he could ask what's wrong he noticed the dress. He then turned to look at the price, and immediately understood why she was so bummed.

Ash's face turned into a comforting smile, as an idea popped into his head. "Hey, don't worry..." he said in a soothing tone. "You know what, I still have to check some stuff out here, so why don't you look around for a few minutes and try to find something a bit cheaper...?"

Serena had a sad smile on her face, but ultimately nodded as she exited the store. "Alright! Let's get to work!" He said as soon as she was out of the store.

Meanwhile with Dawn and Nate...

Nate and Dawn were at the Nimbasa City Pikemon Center, preparing the gifts for their Pokemon. Dawn was knitting something, and Nate was doing what appeared to be Origami.

"Where'd you learn how to make Origami?" Dawn asked Nate. "I was taught by a good friend!" He replied, causing both of them to resume what they were doing.

Suddenly they heard what appeared to be a crashing sound outside. Without saying a word they rushed out to see what happened. Once they were outside, they saw what appeared to be a boy, lying on the ground.

The boy had orange eyes and blond hair. He was wearing an orange and white stripped shirt with a green scarf. He was also wearing grey long jeans.

"Hey... are you okay...?" Dawn asked with a concerned voice. Before any of them could say something else, the boy spoke up. "SERIOUSLY?! WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO PUT A POLE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK?! WHOEVER YOU ARE, I'LL BE SURE TO FINE YOU BIG TIME!"

Nate and Dawn were taken aback by the boy's statement. The boy then got up and turned over to look at the two. "Wait... DAWN?!" He said in a surprised tone. "BARRY?!" Dawn replied, equally surprised.

After some catching up, Barry was introduced to Nate, who decided to walk back to the Pokemon Center, leaving the two alone.

Some time later...

Ash was looking all over the shopping center for two things. One was for Serena, and two was for a gift for his Pokemon. He was about to enter a store, when the store's owner ran up to him and took a bow.

"CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG MAN!" The owner said to a very confused Ash. "YOU ARE OUR 100TH COSTUMER! To commemorate this occasion, please... accept this gift!" The owner then gave Ash a yellow flat box, tied with a red ribbon.

"Whoa... thanks a lot..." Ash said, scratching the back of his head. Ash was about to ask the owner about Serena, but he saw her running up to him with a few shopping bags.

"Hey Serena!" He said once she stopped next to him. "Did you find something good?" He asked her. She nodded. "Have you?" "No... I couldn't find anything..." he said lowering his head. Serena immediately had an apologetic look on her face.

"Don't worry! You'll find something!" She said. "Let's just relax and you'll find something great!" "You bet, nice and easy..." he said as the two exited the store.

Once the two were out, Serena noticed the black bracelet on Ash's left wrist. "Hey Ash, what's that?" She asked curiously. Ash looked at his left wrist and then back at Serena.

"I had some classes about this sort of thing..." he said. "It's called a Z-Power Ring! If you have something called a Z-Crystal that's compatible to one of your Pokemon, you can perform what's called a Z-Move! Basically a powered up attack of a certain type!"

Serena was both intrigued and disappointed. Because the festival was also about giving gifts to friends, she also bought something similar for Ash, and now she was worried that he won't need it. Or even worse, won't want it.

She was lost in thought until they got out of the Amusement Park. Once they were out, Ash turned to look at Serena. "Do you have any idea of a good gift I can give to my Pokemon?" He asked.

"Oh... I forgot all about that..." she replied. Ash sighed. "Pikachu and the others will love anything you choose..." she said in a cheerful tone. "All they care about is that the gift comes from you..."

"You think so?" He asked. "Sure! What would make you happy if you got a gift?" She asked. "Make me happy?" He said in a confused tone. "Does it matter?" Serena smiled brightly. "Yeah! Because they're your Pokemon..." she turned to look at him. "And they think just like you do!"

Ash put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. 'Think like I do... what would make ME happy...?' He thought. Suddenly, his facial expression changed completely, as an idea popped into his head. He gasped. "That's it Serena!" He exclaimed, confusing Serena.

"Thanks a lot! Later!" He said as he began to run away. "Wait! Ash!" Serena yelled in surprise. Ash stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "I have somewhere I need to go!" He said. "I'll meet you back at the Tree!" "Wait..." she tried to reach out to him. "Did you have to leave so soon...?"

Ash ran all the way over to Route 5, saying that he'll find what he's looking for there. He took a moment to breathe, as he ran all the way out of the city.

'Alright! Let's get to work!' He thought before running towards the grassy area. Meanwhile at the Pokemon Center, Serena's Fennekin was resting peacefully until it heard the Pokemon Center's doors opening.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Serena exclaimed as she walked inside. Fennekin barked happily as it hopped towards its Trainer, jumping up at her, and giving her a hug. "Hey Serena!" Dawn said. "Wait... I thought Ash went with you..." Nate said in confusion.

"He's still looking for a present..." she said. "But... I think he's got a great idea!" "Well it's definitely not better than MY idea!" Barry exclaimed jumping out of his chair. Serena looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Oh yeah! Serena this is Barry, a friend of mine from Twinleaf Town!" Dawn introduced the two. "Well it's very nice to meet you Barry!" "Likewise Serena!"

Back with Ash, he was busy picking something from the ground and bushes that were nearby and collecting them into a big white sack. Ash wipes the sweat off of his forehead. "Kay, if I can find just a little bit more..." he says.

Suddenly there's a rustling sound in the nearby bushes. Catching Ash's attention. It was a serpentine Pokemon with a primarily yellow body, blue underside, and blue-and-cream-striped back. Its head is round with a wide mouth extending under its jowls and curving up toward the middle of its face. Its chin is blue with two rounded prongs. Its eyes—round and rimmed with blue—are kept closed, revealing its cream-colored eyelids. On its upper back are two small, white, bird-like wings split into two sections each. Its body ends in a striped, drill-like tail.

"DUNSPARCE!" It cried out. "Whoa! A Dunsparce! Never thought I'd find one here..." Ash murmured while pulling out the Pokedex.

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Dunsparce, the Land Snake Pokemon.

Dunsparce uses its tail to dig its elaborate nest.

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'I think I'll catch it...' Ash thought to himself while reaching into his belt, until he remembered something. "AHH! I LEFT MY POKEBALLS AT THE POKEMON CENTER!" He cried out, scaring the Dunsparce off. Ash gritted his teeth. "No! I won't let this thing get me down!" He exclaimed while returning to his hard work.

Some time later...

Serena, Nate, Dawn, Barry and all their Pokemon were heading towards the Cheri Blossom Tree, marveling at the decorations that the town's people have set up.

Once they reached the tree they saw all the inhabitants of the town getting ready to begin the festival. But Serena's eyes were on someone specific. Somehow, Ash beat them to the tree.

"Hey! What took you guys so long...?" He jokingly said. "HEY! DID YOU JUST CALL ME SLOW?!" Barry exclaimed before rushing towards Ash. "DO IT AGAIN AND I SWEAR TO ARCEUS I'LL FINE YOU!" Ash had a confused and uncomfortable facial expression before Pikachu jumped up to Ash's shoulder.

After Dawn introduced the two, Elesa walked up and began to talk to everyone. "I am very happy to see everybody who got here!" She said. "And I am even happier to announce that this year's Amour Festival... HAS BEGUN!"

The sun has got to a point in the horizon where its rays were at just the right angle to reflect off of the tree's leaves to create a spectacle of rainbow colored lights. Serena and Ash were standing next to each other. "Wow! Beautiful!" She said. "Totally awesome..." he answered.

Now that the festival has begun, everybody gave their presents. Serena bought some cute accessories for her Pokemon, a Dusk Stone for Nate and a red bow for Dawn. Nate made Origami 'statues' of his Pokemon and gave them to them. He also bought a pink tablet for Serena, a Ball Capsule kit for Dawn and a cooking book for Ash.

Dawn knitted new contest/showcase costumes for her Pokemon. She also bought a Performing kit for Serena, new glasses for Nate, a new outfit for Ash and even a hat for Barry.

What was Ash collecting in Route 5 I hear you ask? Well, he collected a BUNCH of berries for his Pokemon. "I hand-picked these berries!" He said as his Pokemon were eying the pile. "It took me a little longer than I thought it would, but that's because I wanted to make sure EVERYONE could be satisfied! So dig in you guys!"

Everyone's Pokemon began to eat. Ash then turned over to his friends. "Kay, now it's time for you guys to get your gifts!" He said as he was grabbing things from his pockets. He gave Nate a Badge Case so when he decides to battle Gyms he has somewhere to place his badges.

He he got a "buy one get one free" deal in winter-ware so he got Dawn two coats. Dawn decided to give one to Barry.

Before Ash could give Serena her gift(s), she gave him a silver treasure chest. "This is something that can help you in battles..." she said nervously. "But you already have you Z-Ring so I didn't know if you'd want it..."

Ash smiled. "Serena, I'll accept anything if it comes from you..." he said, causing her to blush. Ash decided not to open the treasure chest just yet, because he wanted to give Serena her gift first.

"TA DA!" Ash said as he pulled something out of his bag. It was the dress Serena couldn't afford. Serena couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't know Ash cared about her that much. "THANK YOU!" Was all she could say before bringing Ash into a warm embrace, which he happily returned.

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Hey guys! Infinityalbi10 here! First of all thanks a lot to TheLucyClone2304 for following me! And I hope you recognized which episode this was based on (if the name of the Chapter and the plot didn't give it away already). If you guys are wondering what Serena gave to Ash... it's another thing I got from "Alolan Danger" (even though I might've thought of the idea before I read it). Anyways, next chapter's summary:

After getting new confidence from all the support she got, Serena finally decides to sign up to the Nimbasa City Pokemon Showcase, in hopes of finding if this is actually what she wants to do.

She will face a hard time trying to win, but she'll give it all she has to win.

Will she win her first Pokemon Showcase? Will she be able to solidify it as her dream? What will Ash and the rest do if she fails?

Find out next time... AS THE JOURNEY CONTINUES!

Thanks for reading! 😊