While en route to Lumiose City for Ash's Gym battle with Clemont, Ash, Serena, and Bonnie are watching a television broadcast about the Pokémon Showcase that Shauna had recently won in Coumarine City. Seeing Shauna's glory as the winner of a Showcase, Serena resolves to catch up to her rival and goes to train with Fennekin and Pancham as soon as Nurse Joy finishes healing them.
At first, the training proceeds well, with Serena, Fennekin, and Pancham obviously having fun and performing their moves in perfect harmony with each other. However, while performing a trick involving Pancham jumping through a fiery ring created by Fennekin's Flamethrower, Pancham's tail is burned and it becomes angry at Fennekin, blaming her for the mistake. Fennekin retaliates and, after Pancham tries the trick again and accidentally lands on Fennekin, the two of them begin fighting. Pancham hides behind Serena and taunts Fennekin, causing the latter to use Flamethrower in anger and hit Serena instead of Pancham. At this, Serena loses her temper and screams at her two Pokémon to stop fighting. Embarrassed and upset by the way she had treated her Pokémon, Serena leaves to go have some time by herself and think while Ash and Bonnie look after Fennekin, Pancham, and their other Pokémon.
Absentmindedly staring into the window of a shop, a miserable Serena decides that she is a failure as a Pokémon Performer. While lost in thought, a girl walks up behind her and comments on the hats in the window of the shop, thinking Serena is having trouble deciding which one to get. She introduces herself, somewhat hesitantly, as Ariana and invites Serena to go shopping with her, telling Serena how smiling is the most important thing when it comes to performing with one's Pokémon. While shopping, Serena and Ariana continue talking about Pokémon Performers. Serena is still very down on herself for her mistake in the Coumarine City Pokémon Showcase, which Ariana had watched on PokéVision, but Aria tells her that everybody makes mistakes and to keep working with her Pokémon. Serena, enjoying their conversation, begins to smile again and Ariana says that people will love her smile. While the two girls share a meal together, Ariana suggests that Serena's first step to make amends with her Pokémon be to simply apologize, because she and Fennekin are always together and even though Pancham isn't always very honest with itself, it cares about Serena, too.
Meanwhile, Ash and Bonnie have been spending the day having fun with Pikachu, Dedenne, and the other Pokémon. Fennekin and Pancham, like Serena, have been very upset for much of the day, blaming themselves for Serena's anger and for the problems caused between them. Bonnie manages to coax them into eating their food, however, and she and Ash talk about how Clemont is doing back at the Lumiose Gym. At the Gym at that moment, Clemont defeats his newest challenger, a Trainer named Scottie, in his Gym challenge and gives him useful advice about the timing of his Treecko's Mega Drain.
Later that evening, Serena returns to where Ash, Bonnie, and her Pokémon are playing and Fennekin and Pancham immediately express their apologies to her. She, in turn, apologizes to them, and is startled when Ariana challenges her to a Double Battle. Ariana sends out her Delphox and Aromatisse to battle against Pancham and Fennekin. During the battle, Serena realizes that Ariana is a Performer herself and is at first unable to overcome her opponent's beautiful and effective combinations. When Ariana offers her advice about making sure she and her Pokémon are in full cooperation with each other, Serena begins a new combination with Stone Edge and Flamethrower that help her begin to turn the battle around. When Ariana counters with her own Flamethrower and hurts Fennekin, Serena remembers her advice to just keep smiling and reassures Pancham and Fennekin that everything will turn out all right in the end. Responding to Serena's words, Fennekin evolves into Braixen. Before the battle can be completed, however, Ariana is called away and leaves behind a confused Serena, Ash, and Bonnie.
The next day, Serena, Bonnie, and Ash are watching an exhibition by Kalos Queen Aria on television, and Serena finally recognizes her as "Ariana", the one who had given her so much help the day before. Inwardly thanking Aria for her assistance, Serena resolves to train even harder and someday achieve her dream of becoming Kalos Queen.