A Showcase Debut!

### Written by

Sonic876, Punkasaurus0530, Frogadier55, NegimaLover, TMNTHedgehog5, and DragonSpore18

### Directed by

Sonic876 and NegimaLover

***A Showcase Debut!*** is the 12th episode of *Josh's Adventures of Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest*.

## Plot

Serena, Shauna, and Jessie arrive at the Coumarine City Pokémon Showcase, ready to compete. Palermo arrives in a limousine and declines to make a comment to the crowd of reporters there, clarifying that she doesn't want to be there but is obligated to watch the Showcase. As the three girls are preparing for the Showcase, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, James, and Meowth are sitting in the audience, excitedly anticipating the upcoming performances. The Showcase begins with Monsieur Pierre acting as the master of ceremonies and showing the audience the Princess Key with the help of his Klefki. During his introduction, Palermo comments to herself that there won't be another Kalos Queen like Aria. Monsieur Pierre announces that the theme for the first round will be Pokémon Styling, in which Performers are given ten minutes to dress up their Pokémon and lead them down the runway.
Shauna and Jessie, along with a Performer named Alouette, are the first three Performers to compete in the styling round. Alouette gives her Furfrou a Pharaoh trim, Shauna arranges a bouquet of flowers on her Bulbasaur's bulb, and Jessie creates an enormous black costume for Pumpkaboo themed "Beautiful and the Beast" that is appreciated by no one in the audience save James and Meowth. The audience votes on their favorite Performer using their Glow Caster. Jessie receives no votes from the crowd except for James and Meowth, while Alouette and Shauna both receive a respectable number of them. Once the scores are tallied, Shauna is determined as the Performer to move on to the next round.

After several more competitions between Performers, it is finally Serena's turn. At first she is nervous, but when she and Fennekin look at each other, she is reassured and remembers that Fennekin is with her the whole time. Getting ready to style Fennekin for the Showcase, Serena remembers how Ash had once told her that nothing he and Pikachu do on their journey is ever a waste of time. Thinking about this, Serena takes care to put all of her experiences into her performance with Fennekin. When it is finally time for the two of them to walk down the runway, things go well at first, and the audience has a positive reaction to Fennekin's outfit. However, when styling, Serena had failed to recognize that the long ribbon on Fennekin's neck might hinder its ability to walk, and Fennekin trips on the ribbon just as they are nearing the end of the runway, scattering the rest of its decorations everywhere. Devastated, Serena shares a hug with Fennekin before accepting defeat as she receives the fewest number of votes from the audience and is thus eliminated from the Showcase.

Having changed back into her usual outfit, Serena finishes watching the Showcase as Shauna uses her Bulbasaur and Flabébé to great effect in the Freestyle Performance, winning her the Princess Key. As soon as the Showcase ends, Palermo leaves, having fulfilled her obligation of watching it through to the end, and noting that as she expected, there was no one like Aria. That evening, Serena congratulates Shauna on her victory and promises not to tell Tierno and Trevor until Shauna has given them the news herself. Once Shauna leaves, Serena and Bonnie run ahead of Ash and Clemont to get some food. Clemont worries that Serena might not be all right after the disaster during the Showcase, but Ash reassures him, noting Serena's strength.

Early next morning, Serena takes a walk with Fennekin and Pancham to a dock overlooking the ocean, and memories of Fennekin's accident run through her mind. Suddenly overcome by her disappointment, Serena begins to cry uncontrollably despite Fennekin and Pancham both trying to cheer her up. Palermo, whose limousine is driving by at that exact moment, recognizes Serena as the same girl from the Showcase and seems to take special notice of her, refusing to say anything specific about it to her companion. Blaming herself for her loss and at the same time feeling elated that she has finally been able to begin her dream, Serena draws scissors from her backpack cuts her hair above her shoulders as a reflection of her journey thus far. She also changes her outfit, donning a much more casual dress, hat and jacket with the ribbon that Ash had given her. The four of them then leave for their next destination, Lumiose City, where Ash will battle Clemont for his fifth Gym Badge.

## Major events

* Ash and his friends encounter Shauna again.
* Serena and Jessie both participate in their first Pokémon Showcase.
* Shauna wins the Coumarine Showcase Rookie Class and her first Princess Key.
* Serena cuts her hair short and starts wearing a new outfit, which includes the blue ribbon she received from Ash in the previous episode.
* Ash and his friends head back to Lumiose City for Ash's Gym battle with Clemont.

## Characters

### Humans

* Ash
* Serena
* Clemont
* Bonnie
* Jessie
* James
* Nurse Joy (flashback)
* Professor Sycamore (flashback)
* Shauna
* Grace (flashback)
* Monsieur Pierre
* Palermo
* Performers
	+ Alouette
	+ Blanche
	+ Clarice
	+ Elma
* Attendants

### Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Klefki

* Pikachu (Ash's)
* Meowth (Team Rocket)
* Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
* Dedenne (Clemont's)
* Fennekin (Serena's)
* Pancham (Serena's)
* Chespin (Clemont's)
* Pumpkaboo (Jessie's; Super Size)
* Wigglytuff (Nurse Joy's; flashback)
* Bulbasaur (Shauna's)
* Flabébé (Shauna's; Orange Flower)
* Rhyhorn (Grace's; flashback)
* Fletchling (Grace's; flashback)
* Klefki (Monsieur Pierre's)
* Furfrou (Alouette's; Pharaoh Trim)
* Meowstic (Blanche's; ×2; male and female)
* Fletchling (Clarice's)
* Roserade (Elma's)
* Swirlix (Performer's)
* Psyduck (Performer's)
* Heliolisk (Performer's)
* Furret (Performer's)
* Sylveon (Performer's)
* Swanna (Performer's)
* Vileplume (Performer's)
* Scizor (Performer's)
* Dragonite (Performer's)
* Kirlia (Performer's)
* Marill (Performer's)
* Pidgey (Performer's; image; neon)
* Goldeen (Performer's; image; neon)
* Ninetales (Performer's; image; neon)
* Flareon (Performer's; image; neon)
* Rhyhorn (multiple; flashback)
* Skiddo (×2; flashback)

## Transcript

*Main article: A Showcase Debut!/Transcript*
## Trivia

* In the Japanese version, the title card segment focuses on Serena.
* Professor Oak's Pokémon Holo Caster: Mawile
	+ Instead of Pokémon Holo Caster, Professor Oak announces the quiz in which the viewers can answer and win the Pokémon Tretta coins with Ash's Pikachu and Serena's Pancham, which feature Serena's new design.
* The ending animation is updated to include Serena with her short hair at the end, while everything else looks the same.
* Team Rocket doesn't recite their motto or blast off in this episode.
* When Serena breaks down and cries in front of Fennekin and Pancham, in the Japanese version, a more slow, melancholy remix of Snowbelle City's as well as AZ's theme can be heard.
* This episode features the following flashbacks of Serena during the scene when she is about to cut her hair.
	+ Fletchling waking Serena up from *Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!*.
	+ Serena feeding Rhyhorn from *Lumiose City Pursuit!*.
	+ Serena leaving the house to start her Pokémon journey and meet Ash, then meeting Professor Sycamore to pick up her starter Pokémon from *A Battle of Aerial Mobility!.*
	+ Serena choosing Fennekin as her first Pokémon, Fennekin using Ember on a wild Vespiquen to protect Serena, and giving her hat back from *A Shockingly Cheeky Friendship!*.
	+ Serena joining in Ash and the others' journey, Rhyhorn licking her, and Serena giving Ash the cookies she made from *Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race!*
	+ Serena brushing Fennekin's tail on the dock near the Pokémon Summer Camp from *Summer of Discovery!*.
	+ Serena encountering a wild Pancham and catching it from *Dreaming a Performer's Dream!*.
	+ Serena practicing with her Pokémon for Pokémon Showcases, then racing with her mother to prove she wants to become a Pokémon Performer from *A Race for Home!*.
	+ Serena losing her first round in the Pokémon Showcase from this episode.
* Shauna's Bulbasaur having a heart-shaped pattern painted on its forehead could be a reference to May's own Bulbasaur, who had a natural heart-shaped mark on her forehead.
* This is the first time a *VS.* screen appeared that was not for a Pokémon battle. In this case, it was for the Theme Performance of a Pokémon Showcase.
	+ It is also the first *VS.* screen to feature a member of Team Rocket and the first *VS.* screen to depict a three-way battle.
* This is the final episode in the Japanese version to feature the original *Pokémon the Series: XY* title card; the next episode uses a new one that includes Serena's new design.
	+ However, the English dub still continues to use the original title card.
* This marks the first time one of Ash's main traveling companions has permanently changed outfit in the middle of a region journey.
* This episode was titled **Showcase, Debut!** in Cartoon Network's listing for it.
* Serena's Fennekin and Pancham remain outside of their Poké Balls throughout this episode.
* This is the only Showcase that Serena takes part in, that does not use DreamDream as an insert song at any point.
* This episode marks the first appearance of a Scizor in the main series since McCann's appeared in *Mastering Current Events!*, 239 episodes ago.