"Cerise, sweetie, sit still," Alicia Everwood laughed a little as she tugged her daughter's arm, forcing her to sit back down.

"When do they come out?" five-year-old Cerise asked, hopping back up the instant her mother let go. Her amber eyes scanned the stage in front of and below her, eager to see the Contest participants.

Alicia tugged Cerise down again. "In a few minutes. Now please, sit still and watch patiently."

No sooner had she spoken than the lights went down, and new lights hit the stage. Cerise gasped, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look.

"Presenting, the contestants of the Master Rank Beauty Contest! First, Marjorie and Milotic! Nino and..."

Cerise didn't listen to the MC, waiting for the princess to appear. She was participating in this one, wasn't she? Mama wouldn't lie to her about this, right?

"...and fourth, Rosetta and Sylveon!"

Cerise screamed, causing her mother to wince slightly, as the spotlight fell on the princess.

Of course, Rosetta wasn't really a princess, but ever since Cerise had seen her on TV, she thought she certainly looked like one. Rosetta smiled at the audience, waving a lacy glove-covered hand at them like a monarch addressing her people. In front of her, her Sylveon did a few excited hops, glancing around at the audience with large, sparkling eyes and an open-mouthed smile. The light caught the details on both Rosetta's contest outfit, and on Sylveon's ribbon, making both sparkle and increasing their appeal.

The contest officially began, and Cerise continued to stand in front of her seat, leaning on the railing as if it'd get her closer.

"Rosetta's Sylveon is going first, and it looks like – oh my!" A silvery, shimmering mist covered the stage, Sylveon smiling in the middle like a mystical being. "Misty Terrain! This is a perfect first move!" the MC had to yell over the audience's cheering and the applause from the judges.

The entire rest of the Contest, Cerise didn't take her eyes off Rosetta or Sylveon.

"Rosetta! Rosetta, I have a berry for you!"

"Rosetta, can I have your autograph?!"

"Rosetta, please tell us the diet you give your Sylveon!"

Cerise hung back, pressed against her mother, tiny autograph book in her hands. She bit her lip as she saw the sizable crowd around Rosetta and Sylveon – it was all she could see, they were so packed together that all she could see of the princess was the top of her curly up-do. "Mama, they won't let me..." she mumbled.

"It's okay, Cerise, just wait until they're gone..."

"Bu-But Princess Rosetta will leave when that happens!" Cerise's voice became higher-pitched at those words, and her childish shriek managed to briefly overpower the voices of Rosetta's fanclub. A few moments later, the small crowd parted as Rosetta carried Sylveon out, both of them looking around curiously.

In no time, Rosetta's gaze fell on Cerise, and she smiled. "Ah, hello there!" she called, approaching.

Cerise froze, eyes growing huge as Rosetta – the Rosetta! - stopped and knelt before her. She looked even more like a princess up close. Her contest outfit was a pale cream dress, the thigh-length skirt made of layers of chiffon and ruffles. A few tiny gems embroidered into the dress caught the light and twinkled like silver stars, the sheer ruffles on her forearms and wrists shimmered like the mist Sylveon had made. Her hair, a pale blonde with crystal-pink ombre to offset her dark skin, was piled into a curly up-do and secured with a sparkling tiara.

No wonder Cerise thought her a princess.

"U-Uhm!" Cerise began, thrusting her autograph book at Rosetta. "C-Can you and Sylveon sign my book?!"

"Of course!" Rosetta pulled a pen from seemingly-nowhere and began to write. "Did you like the contest, miss?"

"Uh-huh! I really like you and Sylveon! You're so pretty and cool a-and...and I wanna enter a contest too when I get big! I wanna be just like you!"

Rosetta's smile widened slightly. "Is that right? Well, I'd love to see you in the Beauty category!"

"Yeah! But...but I don't wanna be against you..." Cerise mumbled, deflating a bit. Rosetta was so cool and pretty and nice, she didn't want to be her competition!

Rosetta was quiet for a few moments, obviously contemplating something. Her Sylveon hummed a little. Finally, Rosetta leaned in closer, as if she were about to share a secret. "You know," she said, "there are other contest categories you can participate in."

"Really?!" Cerise perked up.

"Of course!" Rosetta laughed a little, her Sylveon joining her. "I always was partial to Beauty, but there's also Clever, Tough, Cute..."

"Ah! I like Cute things! I'll enter a Cute contest someday! That way...that way we won't have to be rivals!"

"I look forward to it," said Rosetta.

"Silvi!" Sylveon, who had been patting at the book's pages with one paw, chimed in.

"And so does Sylveon! I'll tell you what – Cute contests are one of my favorites to watch. If you grow up and enter the Cute contest in Lilycove, I'll be sure to see you. And then..." Rosetta handed back Cerise's book. "And then someday, I'll be the one asking for your signature. Alright?"

"Silvi!"

Cerise's eyes couldn't get any bigger as she stared at her heroes, taking back her autograph book. Finally, she nodded, closing her eyes as her smile stretched nearly to her ears. "I - I will! It's a promise!"

"O-kay, so that will be $3.75! Would you like that for here, or do you want one of our to-go bags?"

"Here's fine, thank you." The man reached into his wallet to pull out the money, sighing wistfully as he slid it across the counter. "Is it really your last day today? It won't be the same, coming into Clefairy Cafe and not seeing your smiling face."

Sixteen-year-old Cerise smiled in a bittersweet way. "I know...I'll miss this place too – Oh! Mina, Mr Winton wants his usual Pecha berry shortcake for here! - but I'll be back to visit later! And soon you'll be able to see my smiling face in the Contest coverages!" A competitive gleam appeared in Cerise's eyes, and she pumped her fists in front of herself. "You can bet on it!"

"Ahh, you still haven't given up on that, have you?" chuckled Mr Winton. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure there was no one else waiting in line, then leaned onto the counter on his elbows. "Eleven years and you're still planning on going to Lilycove?"

"Well, of course! Why else would I be working for so long?"

"And I thought you liked us..." muttered Mina, leaving the kitchen and approaching the counter with a plate of shortcake. "All this time, Dad and I thought you enjoyed our company but here I find you were using us for money. How low!" The older woman frowned and folded her arms, keeping up the charade for a few more moments before smiling, scoffing a little. "I can't believe it, though. It seems like only yesterday, you were just a little five-year-old, knocking on our door before we opened and asking for a job."

"I-It does not feel like only yesterday, does it?" Cerise laughed awkwardly.

That had been an odd day for the owners of this small, local cafe. They'd just been lifting the chairs off the tables and setting them on the floor when there'd been a small knock at the door. Mina's father had moved aside the curtain that blocked the interior from view during closed hours, and seen a little girl with dark skin and blonde pigtails. And she'd just stared right up at him and said "Can I have a job, please?"

They'd taken her inside that moment and, after a bit of questioning, got her phone number out of her. Mrs Everwood had run to the cafe in a panic, having apparently woken up to find her daughter's bed empty – Cerise just said she had to be up early to job hunt.

Of course they couldn't actually, properly employ a five-year-old, but after Cerise had finished her week of being grounded, she was allowed to help Mina sweep the porch and dust the lower windowsills for about an hour a day. In exchange, she would receive one dollar. Then she was old enough to help wash dishes and work for two hours daily, and pay went up to four dollars. Slowly but surely, she was able to take on more and more tasks, until she was considered old enough to work part-time, with a set wage and a uniform and everything.

Eleven years straight, saving up the vast majority of her money and putting it into the savings account Alicia had made for her, and she was finally ready...

Just as soon as her last day was over.

Cerise glanced at the clock, biting her lower lip as she noted the time. Five minutes left of work... She'd been pretty excited earlier, but now...

"Cerise, could you come back here for a moment?" Cerise's boss called from the back room.

"Huh?" Cerise blinked, realizing too late that she'd zoned out. Mr Winton had already finished his cake and left. Which meant, Cerise realized as she glanced at the clock again, her last day at small, comfortable Clefairy Cafe was officially over. Her boss probably wanted her to hand over the apron and name tag, and to give her her final check of course. "Okay, I'm coming – Kyah!" she cried in surprise as she entered the back room.

Her eyes grew wider as she stared – in the back room, the unofficial break room, Mina, her father Clark, Alicia, Mr Winton, and a few other regular patrons sat around a large chocolate cake, broad smiles on their faces. Mina lifted a popper and pulled, sending confetti and streamers over Cerise's head. "You didn't think we'd just let you leave without a proper send-off, did you?" she teased.

"Wh..." Cerise mumbled.

"Well, I told Mina and Clark you wanted to get going as early as possible," Alicia spoke up just then. "So they decided to give you and Skitty a little going-away party tonight."

"Skitty's here too?!" Cerise cried. Her question was answered a moment later when the pink Pokemon nuzzled against her leg, mewing for attention. "Oh, sweetheart!" Cerise dropped down to pick her up. "Were you in the back this whole time I was working?"

"Nyaaa!"

"Ooooh, I'm sorry! It must've been so boring back here-"

"Er...actually, I was playing with her all day long," muttered Clark, holding up a ribbon attached to a stick. Cerise had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling too much – Clark was a big, burly man, even in his older age, and the mental image of him waving a little ribbon around for five hours for a pink Pokemon was...

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Alicia said suddenly. "Let's hurry up and cut the cake!"

"So you're going for the Cute category? Well, you've certainly chosen the right Pokemon for it," Mr Winton said, scritching Skitty under her chin. Skitty purred in contentment, making Mr Winton smile before he went on. "But hearing your story, are you sure you don't want to try for Beauty? It was the category that first got your interest after all."

"Sor-ry, no can do!" Cerise held up two fingers in an X. "I want to be a champion alongside Rosetta, I want her to see me, not be my rival."

"Isn't the expression 'work until your idols become your rivals,' though?" asked Clark as he helped himself to another slice of cake.

"Well, yes...but as I said, I don't want us to be rivals. I want Rosetta to have her thing, and me to have mine. You know?"

"Nya!"

"See, Skitty agrees!" Cerise laughed.

"Is Rosetta still even competing, though?" Mina asked with a frown. "I mean, I've never kept up much with Contests, but I don't think many famous Contest stars last eleven years. What if she's retired?"

"Well..." Cerise's smile faded just a little as she looked down at her lap. It was true – Rosetta hadn't been heard from very much in the past nine years. She would enter the occasional Contest, still, but her fame had diminished a bit since Cerise had seen her. That should have been expected, with all the new stars and idols coming out, but it still hurt a little. On the other hand... "Her fanblog still updates from time to time, and she does make a few special appearances – last week I saw her on a daytime talk show with Sylveon! They're looking very well. So even if she doesn't compete much, she can still see me!" And really, that was what Cerise really wanted.

"Okay, okay, it's time to lighten up! Cerise, I have some things for you," Alicia said suddenly, snapping Cerise back to attention.

"Wait, no one said anything about presents!"

"Oh, no one had to bring presents – this is just something from a mother to a daughter." Alicia leaned sideways in her seat, then straightened again with a large black bag in hand. On the side of the bag was a shop name – one that Cerise definitely knew wasn't located in Rustboro City. "Mom! You got me something from Lilycove?! You didn't have to do that-!"

Alicia merely smiled and set the bag on the table in front of Cerise. Skitty hopped up from Cerise's lap to nose at it in curiosity. "Go ahead, look inside."

Cerise frowned lightly, but pushed back her chair and stood up. Looking at it directly from above, all she could really see was a lot of blue. And something that was clearly circular-shaped in the middle of something square – hey, wait a second! Cerise let out a squeal and shoved her arms into the bag, startling her poor Skitty and making her fur bristle. Mumbling a quick apology, Cerise struggled to pull the item out of the bag. "It's blue and it has shapes and you got it from Lilycove is this what I think it is aaaaaaah, it is!" Cerise screamed as she finally got the item out.

"A PokeBlock kit!"

As everyone else laughed, Alicia smiled and petted Skitty. "I know you said you had enough money to buy one yourself, but I wanted to at least provide one thing for you. Make Skitty good PokeBlocks, okay?"

"Nya?" Skitty chimed in.

Cerise just smiled broadly, hugging the kit to her chest. "Oh, Mom...I will!" she said cheerfully.

Hours later, however, her mood had done a 180.

It might have seemed strange to say out loud, but when she wasn't surrounded by smiling, familiar faces, when she was alone with her thoughts in the dead of night...It gave her time to really think.

It helped that she'd been unable to sleep for the past... Cerise glanced at her digital clock. It was one in the morning. So she'd been awake for all of the four hours since she told her mom she'd go to bed.

Cerise sighed and went back to idly stroking Skitty. The pink Pokemon lay curled up in a ball at Cerise's side, just like she had done every night for the past two years. She purred lightly and began to make biscuits, which lifted Cerise's spirits just a teeny bit. Skitty sure had grown, hadn't she? It felt like just last week she'd been a little kitten and Cerise was picking her up from a trainer with a box full of them, one very smug-looking Delcatty by their side. She'd brushed her every day, given her a weekly bath with sweet-smelling, Pokemon-safe soaps, slipped her Pecha berries on top of her dinner for a treat... And now here she was, her full size and ready to take on the world.

Cerise only wished she could say the same for herself.

She looked away from Skitty and out the window above her bed. The moon was full that night, offering some light even in the late hour.

"I'll have to sleep under that moon a lot," Cerise mumbled to herself. Sure, she wasn't heading out to be a trainer, but the cities holding the different-ranked Contests were rather spaced out. And Cerise definitely couldn't get a taxi to take her all the way there.

She looked away from the window and to the spot by the door, just across from her bed. Her rolling suitcase was packed and ready, her sleeping bag rolled up and secured to the top of it, and she'd managed to make room in the bag for her PokeBlock kit. And there was room to spare. She'd be fine. She was sixteen. She'd be fine on her own...without her house, or her room, or...

Or her mother...

She'd be fine.

With a groan, Cerise sat up, rousing Skitty from her sleep and making her meow in protest. "Sorry, Skitty," Cerise smiled weakly as she got out of bed. "Go back to sleep, okay?"

Skitty meowed again, but instead of immediately doing as told, she made her way to the foot of the bed. After kneading the blanket a few times, she turned in a circle once, and then nestled down to sleep. Cerise wasn't going to wake her up when she came back to bed, no sir.

Cerise chuckled under her breath and left the room. Some coffee would calm her down and help her sleep...It wasn't supposed to do that, but it did for Cerise all the time.

She stopped at the foot of the stairs, eyes widening. The light was on in the kitchen, a rectangular patch of it on the opposite wall in the hallway. Had someone broken in? But she didn't hear anything... Holding her breath, she cautiously walked towards the kitchen, nervously peering around the door frame.

And saw her mother sitting at the table, a hot mug of coffee between her hands. "Mom?"

"Oh, Cerise," Alicia gasped, looking up. "I didn't hear you get up."

"I couldn't sleep," Cerise explained, entering the kitchen properly. "Did you make an entire pot, or...?"

Alicia gestured to the coffee pot. "Over there. Help yourself."

Cerise nodded and went to get her favorite cup – a round cappuccino cup in the shape of a Jigglypuff. She couldn't pack it because of how fragile it was, which did upset her but breaking it would upset her far worse. She set the cup on the counter and set about preparing her coffee as slowly as possible. Half a cup of coffee, two sugars, and a bit of caramel creamer, just as she liked it. Her return to the table was slow too, and she realized that she was moving so slowly in order to prolong having to go back to bed and...

...sleep, and then wake up to find it was time to go.

Alicia smiled and reached across the table to squeeze her daughter's hand. "Nervous, hon?" she whispered.

"I guess..." Cerise mumbled. She lifted the cup to her lips, blowing on it gently before taking a sip. "It's strange," she added later. "I've been looking forward to this day nearly my entire life...the past two months I was so excited." And the calendar, with its big yellow star around the date and every weekend before that marked "X weeks til Contest Trip!" could prove it. "And now it's like...it's really happening, and I'm going to leave home. I won't see my room until I get back, I won't be able to eat your dinners, or walk past the neighbor's Mightyena on my way to work anymore – I don't work anymore!" she added. "And I'll just... it's a big step. Tomorrow, everything will be different..."

"Are you scared you can't do it?" Alicia murmured sympathetically.

"Hm-m." Cerise shook her head and took another, longer, drink. "It's not that. I know I can do it – I've been waiting and imagining and I've even practiced tons of cute poses with Skitty in front of the mirror! It's just...I won't be here. You know?"

Alicia silently sipped her coffee.

"I know it doesn't make sense but-"

"I felt the same way when I left home for the first time," Alicia said. She smiled as Cerise looked back up at her. "It's a strange feeling, being on your own for the first time. Relying on yourself, having to take care of yourself... Being independent is a little scary at first. And it's understandable that you're a bit nervous. I know you're not afraid you can't do it," she added as Cerise opened her mouth. "But it's more like...this is a big step, a new chapter in your life. And it's a strange, scary feeling, knowing it's about to happen.

"Oh dear, now I'm the one who's not making too much sense..." Alicia chuckled.

Cerise laughed along with her, then smiled down at her coffee. "No...No, it's just that it's a little hard to put into words, is all. But either way, at least talking about it has made me feel a bit better.

...I'm really going to miss you, Mom."

"I know, sweetheart. I'll miss you too..." Alicia's smile was sad as she finished the last of her coffee. "But you're coming home after this, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"So it's not 'goodbye.' It's 'until next time.' And remember; if you ever need to come back home, at any time, I'll always be here to welcome you back." And then Alicia's hand was over Cerise's. "Don't ever think you can't come back."

Cerise's vision started to blur a little, and she sniffled. "Okay... I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, sweetheart." Alicia squeezed Cerise's hand and nodded at her cup. "Now...finish your drink, and go back to bed. You don't want to be tired for your big day, do you?"

And she wasn't tired as she stood in front of her mirror the next morning, carefully placing her pink beret on her head. She straightened her back, looking herself up and down. There was nothing like new clothes to start a new chapter in your life, right? She almost felt like a new person herself.

The girl in the mirror wore a light purple and pink capelet with a plaid pattern, secured closed with a round red (fake) jewel. Beneath that was a white shirt with long sleeves, pink stripes on the cuffs and a light purple ribbon belt with a bow at the side. The belt allowed the scalloped edge of her shirt to flare out slightly and lift enough to show the light purple layer beneath it. A long pink skirt with scalloped edges and lace covered her legs all the way to mid-shin, and on her feet were sturdy yet comfortable brown boots with red laces criss-crossing at the front. "Fashionable and practical," Cerise said with a smile. "What do you think, Skitty?" She turned away from the mirror to smile at Skitty, who sat next to the suitcase, waiting to go.

"Nyaaa!"

"Okay, just hang on one second..." Cerise mumbled and went to her nightstand. She ran the brush through her long, wavy blonde hair a few more times, then put in her earrings. They were made to look like she had two little cherries hanging on her earlobes. "Okay, your turn!"

"Nya?"

Cerise reached into her top drawer and approached Skitty. "You think I'd forget you? Hold still...there!"

Skitty sat there, dumbfounded, for a moment. Then she looked past Cerise and at her reflection. "Nya?" She smiled widely when she saw the pink scarf tied around her neck. "Nyaaaa!"

"If I get a new look, so do you!" Cerise grinned. Then her smile faded, and she scooped Skitty up in her arms. "Well...I guess we're done stalling, huh, girl?" She moved her arms a bit to allow Skitty to move up to her shoulder, then grabbed the retractable handle of her suitcase and headed for the stairs. "Here we go..."

In the early morning light, Alicia stood on the front porch and adjusted Cerise's hat a few times. "You have everything you need?"

"Yeah..." Cerise mumbled, a queasy feeling in her gut.

"You packed enough food and drink to last til you hit the next town?"

"Yeah."

"Healing items? You never know when you'll come across a wild Pokemon."

"I did."

Alicia straightened then, mouth twitching as she tried not to cry. "You'd better be going, then..." She said noting as Cerise quickly hugged her, just hugged with one arm and patted her head with her free hand. The two finally parted, Cerise giving a watery smile, and then Alicia watched her daughter walk down the short path leading to the road.

After a moment, however, she couldn't keep quiet. "Now – now you call me as soon as you reach Slateport! I don't care how late or early it is, just call me as soon as you get there!"

"I will."

"And don't talk to anyone who seems shady!"

"I won't!"

"Remember to eat breakfast every day! And – And I mean you eat well, too! You have a card and money in the bank, you can afford that! I don't want to find out you've been eating nothing but hamburgers and junk!"

"Nyaaaa!"

"Skitty, you keep her safe!"

"We'll be fine, Mom!" Cerise was already halfway down the road when she turned and yelled that. She waved, one arm high over her head. "Until next time!"

Alicia's wave was more subdued. "Yeah...until next time, hon."

Cerise watched her mother for a moment, until it was clear the woman wasn't going back inside til Cerise was out of sight. She inhaled deeply, exhaling from the mouth as she looked to Skitty. "Well, friend...Are you ready to become a Contest Star?"

"Nya!"

"Me too." And she took another step forward.

But this time, she didn't look back.